Profiles in Courage
Written by John F. Kennedy
Narrated by John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Caroline Kennedy
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About this audiobook
THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING CLASSIC OF POLITICAL INTEGRITY
Introduction Written and Read by Caroline Kennedy; Book read by John F. Kennedy Jr.
John F. Kennedy’s enduring classic resounds with timeless lessons on the most cherished of virtues—courage and patriotism—and remains a moving, powerful, and relevant testament to the indomitable American spirit
During 1954-55, Kennedy, then a junior senator from the state of Massachusetts, profiled eight American patriots, mainly United States Senators, who at crucial moments in our nation’s history, revealed a special sort of greatness: men who disregarded dreadful consequences to their public and private lives to do that one thing which seemed right in itself. They were men of various political and regional allegiances—their one overriding loyalty was to the United States.
Courage such as these men shared, Kennedy makes clear, is central to all morality—a man does what he must in spite of personal consequences—and these exciting stories suggest that, without in the least disparaging the courage with which men die, we should not overlook the true greatness adorning those acts of courage with which men must live.
As Robert F. Kennedy writes in the foreword, Profiles in Courage “is not just stories of the past but a book of hope and confidence for the future. What happens to the country, to the world, depends on what we do with what others have left us."
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) was president of the United States from 1961 to 1963. At forty-three, he was the youngest man ever elected to the Oval Office and the first Roman Catholic president.
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Reviews for Profiles in Courage
54 ratings15 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book graced my parents' coffee table in their formal living room for years and I'm quite sure that it sat unread during its tenure there (I dusted it off as part of my chores often enough). It's funny how you can assume that you know what a book is about ... until you actually read (or audiobook) it. I'm glad to have taken the time to listen to its message; a message that remains incredibly relevant today. A+
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent, past proves future. JFK, Jr. narrated his father's book with excellence. He is his father's son.
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Please post the book itself. Food for the soul and nice to read and savor slowly.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kennedy recounts tales of U.S. Senators who risked, and frequently lost, their political careers and reputations by going against their constituents. He describes courage as "that most admirable of human virtues." I don't think it's that simple; people can be courageous in the pursuit of truly awful convictions. Kennedy argues that whether or not one was courageous cannot be judged by whether one's cause seems dubious in hindsight, but some of these people did things that were morally indefensible to many people in their own time. Kennedy struggles with, but ultimately flounders, in trying to describe the balance needed to represent constituents, and exercise political and moral judgement. I agree that we need the latter, and I vote for people who's judgement I think i can trust, but, unfortunately, I think that a lot of the turn to the right in both the United States and Europe is from too much confidence on the part of the political class that they know best and the unenlightened can be safely ignored. They are still on the voting rolls, a fact which too many people prefer to ignore, and if they feel too ignored, they are likely to find someone who pays more attention. I would suggest reading Eric Wilson's Running Against the Devil : A Plot to Save America from Trump -- and the Democrats from Themselves.
My other problem is that for a long time, histories of the Civil War period were dominated by Southern writers. What Kennedy says reminds me of what I learned in school in Maryland (I was born in 1953), that I have come to believe, reading history as an adult, was largely wrong.
Andrew Johnson, who is often regarded as one of the worst presidents, was supposedly trying to follow Lincoln's humane direction, whereas the nasty Republican Congress was trying to punish them. One of the chief points of conflict is that the Congress wanted to prevent the people who had led the South into secession from dominating politics after the war, whereas Johnson was busy pardoning them so that they could. I think that repeatedly referring to Benjamin Butler as "Butcher Butler" is totally unwarranted -- who is he supposed to have butchered? He was certainly a stringent military governor in New Orleans, and extremely unpopular, but on the whole, he did a fairly good job, taking heretofore unheard of precautions against yellow fever and reducing street crime.
Robert A. Taft may have been brave, but his timing was exasperating. As one of his colleagues commented, if Taft thought the Nuremburg Trials were of dubious equality, why didn't he say so at the beginning, instead of waiting until the trials were over and the convicted sentenced to hanging? Apparently, despite his arguments, it was actually the death penalty that bothered him, but again, his timing was poor. If the Allies had no legal right to execute leading Nazis, under what law would they send them to exile on an island (like Napoleon)?
Keeping these things in mind, the book is still interesting to read. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In these days of political upheaval, I turned to John F. Kennedy, one of the heroes of my childhood, and to reread his account of those brave politicians who acted, not in their own interests, but in the interest of their country. I especially wanted to re-read his account of the Andrew Johnson impeachment and Edmund Ross, who voted for acquittal. It is eerily pertinent. Johnson decided to follow the path laid out by Abraham Lincoln to reunite the country. The radicals wanted to punish the south. So impeachment and removal was their way of getting rid of their obstacle. So it was with Clinton and so it is with Trump; a use of impeachment frowned upon by the Constitution. Edmund Ross and others refused to follow the others and for this he was vilified.There are many other examples of courage in this book. We ought to take a deep breath and listen to these words by a Democrat who would no longer be welcome in his own party. It might make a difference.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great reminder in the embarrassing times of 'Trump' that there can be genuine character in the Presidency today, NOT reality show shit.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Senators who stood against the popular will, often including the will of their own states, in causes good and maybe not so good—Kennedy was extremely forgiving of various men who wished to preserve the Union by putting off the question of slavery to another day. Here’s Kennedy, writing words that we perhaps find hard to believe today: “The true democracy, living and growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people—faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but also elect [those] who will exercise their conscientious judgment—faith that the people will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor and ultimately recognize right.” I guess we’ll see whether we have that true democracy any more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this book at the turn of the millennium. If I remember correctly I tracked it down via the internet, possibly one of the first books I bought on the internet. Then again, I have a memory of talking on my cell phone to a sales representative, specifically asking for a hardback edition, which was successfully fulfilled. When I received the edition, I sat down every day after work for 30 to 45 minutes, reading a chapter or two. I was impressed by the praise JFK laid upon politicians, writers and public figures over the previous century or two, who stood up for their beliefs and did not relent to social norms, or political partisanship. Most of them were not politically successful in there philosophies, yet they stood strong against all those who disagreed and argued for a different direction. Instead of calling them martyrs or misunderstood, he called them courageous. The inspiration that drove him, is the inspiration that often drives me. For this, I am very thankful.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found these sketches of courgeous political figures well-done and interesting, whethe JFK wrote them or not. As an Iowan I appreciated James Grimes being recognized as a man of courage--he certainly suffered for being such in his lifetime.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found this book rather interesting given the times we live in today. Much like many books written by famous people today, John McCain, Bethany Frankel, Pamela Anderson or any other person of fame, others write and the star gets the credit. There are those who question whether JFK wrote the book, his name is on the cover and he is credited with being the author. The book is interesting because unfortunately in our time of partisan politics it is rare when someone bucks the majority and votes their conscience or what the country really needs. We need more politicians who look out for the country first and their narrow minded partisan groups last, right/left, Republican/Democrat, Liberal/Conservative.A must read for the history major.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I first read this book in my teens when I was very much a Kennedy admirer. These days, I'm decidedly ambivalent about him and his presidency, and rather emblematic of that is what I've learned of this Pulitzer Prize winning book since first reading it. By all rights, the byline for this book should read Ted Sorenson, not John F. Kennedy. In his autobiography, Counselor, Sorenson admitted what had been rumored for years--that he largely researched and wrote Kennedy's book for him, writing "the first draft of most chapters." At best, it was a collaboration, but one heavily weighted towards Sorenson. As he explained, "While in Washington, I received from Florida almost daily instructions and requests by letter and telephone – books to send, memoranda to draft, sources to check, materials to assemble, and Dictaphone drafts or revisions of early chapters." So Kennedy did oversee the production, but much of the writing isn't his.Herbert Parmet, a historian who wrote a book on Kennedy, analyzing Profiles in Courage does believe Kennedy largely wrote the opening and closing thematic chapters, and those are I think the parts of the book of enduring historical interest given his presidency. In them Kennedy lays out a philosophy of governance. Elected representatives, Kennedy avers, should not "serve merely as a seismograph to record shifts in popular opinion." I've seen some reviewers lambast that view, claiming that for elected representatives to go against their constituencies, whatever their own views, is undemocratic. Personally, I'd counter that America is not a democracy, not a direct one, and was never designed to be. We're a republic. We elect representatives who are supposed to exercise their best judgement, then defend it to their constituencies who are then free to elect someone else if they don't agree. I'm with Kennedy on that.Kennedy did apparently come up with the idea of the book: stories of eight United States Senators who cast unpopular, potentially career-ending votes. The profiles included some names I think will be familiar to anyone acquainted with American History: John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston and Robert Taft. The other names are much more obscure, although I found the story of Edmund G. Ross, who cast the deciding vote not to impeach President Andrew Johnson, the most memorable in the book. (Although not mentioned is that there is considerable evidence Ross was bribed for his vote. But that wouldn't make for a profile of courage, would it?) All in all, I did find the stories entertaining, but insightful, impressive works of history worthy of an award? No. But I think those opening and closing chapters, "Courage in Politics" and "The Meaning of Courage" well worth reading and thinking about for anyone interested in politics, particularly the American system. That's why in my estimation the book is worth a three-star rating, whatever its genesis and flaws.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love this book! Very Inspiring!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Should be required reading for every HS student and everyone running for office.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I picked up "Profiles in Courage" in July at the JFK Library in Boston where it was extensively praised in the video tribute. It also garnered a Pulitzer. I love US history and like JFK. Everything points to me liking this book. Unfortunately, I did not. This is a political book masquerading as history. JFK covers all the bases. Here a nod to intolerant Southerners, there a wink to isolationist Midwesterners and for starters some goodies for conservatives. The key message: Don't fear my presidency, I am not a Massachusetts liberal. This "inclusiveness" wrecks any kind of consistency in the cases selected. It is not a surprise if senators do no come to mind if one imagines courageous people. Nay-saying is the chief function of the senate. It is a feature and not a bug. Senators have little to fear for nay-saying. Incumbents are nearly impossible to unseat, way past their shelf-life. Their six year terms leave ample time for amnesia to work. Courage for a senator according to Kennedy is voting against their party/state interest. I would divide JFK's examples into three categories: 1) Conscience voters: Thomas Hart Benton (MO, pro Union), Sam Houston (TX, against secession), Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (MS, against currency debasing), George Norris (NE, filibustered WWI entry). 2) Legalists: Edmund G. Ross (KS, against impeachment), Robert A. Taft (OH, against Nürnberg death penalties). 3) Compromisers: John Quincy Adams (MA, pro Embargo), Daniel Webster (MA, slavery compromise). Among the decisions only Edmund Ross' refusal to vote for Johnson's impeachment had a historic impact. All the other events would have happened even if the senator under discussion had voted otherwise (the 1850 compromise is debatable, though).Overall, a not particularly well written book which served its purpose in adding an intellectual halo to JFK but does not stand the test of time.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a great book. John F. Kennedy wrote this when he was a senator and he focused on eight U.S. senators and their acts of courage or bravery (they chose to do what was right, even if it meant they would have to pay for it later by loss of popularity or whatever). He focused on both republicans, democrats, and the federalists and the book later won the Pulitzer Prize. Of note, a couple of the senators mentioned are John Adams and Robert Taft. I really really liked this book, it was interesting and showed that not everyone in the Senate were horrible people.