Kennedy: A Cultural History of an American Icon by Mark White
| Kennedy: A Cultural History of an American Icon by Mark White | |
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| Category: History | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A look at how the image of JFK was developed - and how the man stacked up against it. An academic publication but more accessible than you might expect. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 200 | Date: September 2013 |
| Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic | |
| ISBN: 978-1441161864 | |
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During his lifetime John Fitzgerald Kennedy created an image of himself that dazzled and which has largely remained intact despite the steady leakage of information over the years which could have been expected to tarnish. It could be argued that - much as in the case of Elvis Presley and Princess Diana - death was an excellent career move, but Mark White examines the way the image was built up, then maintained and - after the assassination - burnished, reinforced and protected.
JFK was fortunate not only in being born into wealth but in having Joe Kennedy for a father. Kennedy senior was wise in the way of politics and a businessman not unduly burdened by scruples. It was he who had JFK's first literary effort - Why England Slept - polished and then had the connections to ensure that it was published, thus establishing JFK's credentials as a man of letters. His later work - Profiles in Courage - won the Pulitzer Prize, but there are persistent rumours that Kennedy senior lobbied the awarding committee. JFK's war service and his actions with regard to the sinking of PT109 established him as a war hero - and even today their 'war service' is usually heavily pushed by presidential hopefuls.
Add in his sex appeal, his elegant wife (who effectively added to his image) and family and his being a man of faith and you have someone who is going to appeal to a large number of voters. (Incidentally, Kennedy took 49.7% of the popular vote in the 1960 election, but after the assassination 65% recollected voting for him.) It's possibly one of the most positive images ever created and White fills an important gap in the books about Kennedy by exploring how the image was created and whether or not it conformed to the reality of the man.
Kennedy is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is perhaps drier than you would expect of a book published for popular readership but I found it accessible and interesting. Mark White links much of his reasoning to popular culture - I found the link with James Bond and (from a much later period) the way that the Kennedy image is referenced in the television series Madmen fascinating. The reference to Camelot came from Jackie Kennedy (the fiercest defender of her husband's image) immediately after the assassination - neatly making the point that JFK's presidency had been something special, which would never come again.
I didn't expect to find much in this book which was new but it was a surprisingly refreshing read, putting into context much that I already knew but neatly demonstrating what was going on behind the scenes. November 2013 sees the 50th anniversary of JFK's death and there are bound to be plenty of books available, but this one does fill a hitherto unacknowledged gap. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For more about JFK and his brother Bobby we can recommend Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot. You might also enjoy One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Krushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs. Young children might appreciate Patrick and the President by Ryan Tubridy and P J Lynch.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Kennedy: A Cultural History of an American Icon by Mark White at Amazon.com.
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