Last Lion, Peter S. Canellos
Last Lion, Peter S. Canellos
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Last Lion
The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy

Author: Peter S. Canellos

Narrator: Skipp Sudduth

Abridged: 7 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/17/2009

Synopsis

The comprehensive New York Times bestselling biography of Senator Ted Kennedy dives deeply into his political career, his shocking downfall, and his redemption from disappointing member of a grand dynasty to respected sage in the Senate.

No figure in American public life had such great expectations thrust upon him and fallen short of them so quickly. But Ted Kennedy, the gregarious, pudgy, and least academically successful of the Kennedy boys, became the most powerful senator for over forty years and the nation’s keeper of traditional liberalism.

As Peter S. Canellos and his team of reporters from The Boston Globe show in this intimate biography, Ted witnessed greater tragedy and suffered greater pressure than his siblings. He inherited a generation’s dreams and was expected to help confront his nation’s problems in order to build a fairer society. But political rivals turned his all-too-human failings into a condemnation of his liberal politics. As the presidency eluded his grasp, Kennedy was finally free to become his own man. He transformed himself into a symbol of wisdom and perseverance.

Perceptive and carefully reported, drawing from candid interviews with the Kennedy family, Last Lion captures magnificently the life, historic achievements, and personal redemption of Ted Kennedy, and offers a fresh assessment of his enduring legacy.

About Peter S. Canellos

Peter S. Canellos is an award-winning writer and former Editorial Page Editor of The Boston Globe and Executive Editor of Politico. He is the editor of the New York Times bestseller, Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on August 23, 2010

Having read at least one biography of Ted Kennedy and another chronicling the relationships with his brothers, I thought "Last Lion" lacked quite a bit. The book provided numerous anecdotes of his impact on social progress in the senate and political realm, and his dedication to his constituents of......more

Goodreads review by N.N. on July 04, 2018

I've been fascinated with the Kennedy family ever since I was little. I remember seeing the picture of John Jr. saluting his father's casket and I wanted to know more. Through the years, I've devoured all sorts of biographies and memoirs on the Kennedys. This one, while a solid read, just doesn't co......more

Goodreads review by RYD on January 18, 2012

A well-written account of Ted Kennedy's life, especially considering that it was done by a team of reporters. I'm by no means a fan of JFK or RFK, but the youngest Kennedy son grew to become an impressive figure in the Senate, especially once he gave up on his hopes to become president. This book in......more

Goodreads review by Jane on October 14, 2009

Here is an important book about Ted Kennedy's conflicts and contributions. It is somewhat balanced between his mistakes and his successes. The main reason for reading it is to find out exactly what Kennedy contributed to our country and how far his sponsorship of bills, particularly on health care a......more

Goodreads review by Paul on January 27, 2025

Very informative book. So much information about Teddy. He lived quite a full life. Writing style was OK but not very good to keep you interested.......more

Quotes

"In 400 brisk but detail-rich pages, the book...sketches a poignant portrait." -- The New York Times Book Review

"If you want a peek inside America's royal family, this is a must-read, with details that only Boston Globe reporters could know." -- Tim O'Brien, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A balanced, nuanced, warts-and-all portrait." -- Kirkus Reviews

"A timely if not revelatory portrait of a flawed figure who 'never expected to become the custodian of his family's sorrows' but found a way to transcend the role." -- Alex Altman, Time

"A readable, relatively objective study of the once most-vilified man in contemporary American politics." -- The Washington Times

"With the publication of Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy, we get a fresh look at how this man's gothic imperatives -- blood loyalty and inherited duty -- would make him the greatest U.S. senator of modern times." -- Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball and author of Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America

"Last Lion is a fine biography, a graceful summing up an extraordinary life that is not yet over. It shows little sign of having been written by a team of seven, and it does not carry the tone of an obituary. With its anecdotes and political tales, it captures the wit, humor, and grace of Ted Kennedy and establishes his place, 'as much a part of the Capitol as the dome or the Rotunda beneath it.'" -- Ken Bode, The Boston Globe

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