In His Own Right - (Columbia Studies in Contemporary American History) by Joseph Palermo (Paperback)

About the Book

Based on never-before-seen documents, this book chronicles RFK's extraordinary transformation from Cold Warrior to grass roots activist. Palermo focuses on the crucial nexus between '60s social activism and Kennedy's role as national leader, demonstrating how civic groups and individual activists educated him about the conflict in Southeast Asia and racial and class injustice at home.

Book Synopsis

Robert Kennedy's role in American politics during the 1960s was pivotal yet has defied attempts to define it. He was a junior senator from New York, but he was also much more. The public perceived him as possessing the intangible qualities of his brother, the slain president. From 1965 to 1968 Kennedy struggled to find his own voice in national affairs.

In His Own Right examines this crucial period of Robert Kennedy's political career, combining the best of political biography with a gripping social history of the social movements of the 1960s. How did Kennedy make the transformation from cold warrior to grassroots activist, from being a political operator known for ruthlessness toward his opponents to becoming, by 1968, a "tribune of the underclass"? Based on never before seen documents, this intimate portrait of one of the most respected politicians never elected president describes Robert Kennedy's relationship with such well-known activists and political players as Benjamin Spock, Eugene McCarthy, Allard Lowenstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez, as well as the ordinary men and women who influenced Kennedy's views as he came to stand in the public arena and in the national consciousness as a man and a leader in his own right.

Review Quotes

A thorough investigation of RFK as a political leader that is a worthy continuation of the years covered in James Hilty's Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector.-- "Library Journal"

A vivid portrait of the problems and promise of the 1960s and the way Kennedy shaped and was shaped by the era.-- "Publishers Weekly"

An important contribution to Kennedy scholarship, a highly readable and sympathetic portrayal of RFK.-- "Journal of American History"

Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.--Walter LaFeber "The Bookpress"

Palermo does a fine job of attempting to link Kennedy to social movements and grass-roots mobilization by groups in this country. His book is a well-researched, clearly written study that is well worth reading.-- "Rhetoric and Public Affairs"

This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.--James W. Hilty "American Historical Review"

About the Author

Joseph A Palermo lectures at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has written for Peace & Change and other journals.