Book Review: JFK in the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency by John T. Shaw
Disclaimer: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
As someone born after John F. Kennedy was elected president, and about two years old when he died, I don’t really remember him in the same way as the generation just a bit before mine. I learned about his PT boat exploits in World War Two, and about the events of his presidency, and especially about his assassination. But he didn’t come out of nowhere as a young president.
In the later 1940s and the 1950s, JFK served Massachusetts first as a member of the House of Representatives, and then as a senator. This volume concentrates on those years, tracing Kennedy’s development from a callow new representative to a successful presidential candidate. For me, this is pretty interesting reading, shining some light into the political processes of the time, and Kennedy’s learning process.
However, this is very much a volume about John F. Kennedy the politician, not JFK the person. We read little about his personal life and how it might have affected him. Rather than a strict chronological retelling, the book focuses on various policy areas that Kennedy worked on during his senatorial years; domestic issues, foreign policy and his special committee to choose five senators to honor with portraits.
Thus, not only do we not learn anything about how Jackie Kennedy might have influenced his personality or politics, but there is no mention of when JFK married her. Just a note at one point of a magazine calling Kennedy a “bachelor” and at another of Jackie attending the club for wives of senators. Similarly, nothing of his children save brief acknowledgment that they existed.
Therefore, this work would best be supplemented by a fuller biography for most readers. But for the Kennedy scholar wanting a closer look at his early political career, this will be a big help. There are some black and white photos at the center, one of which is mentioned as being staged. As well, there are end notes, a bibliography and index.
Check it out from your college or public library if the subject matter appeals to you.
