John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael

John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael O'Brien

The purpose of writing this report is to critically analyze and interpret the biography of John F. Kennedy written by O'Brien in his book "John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael O'Brien." John F. Kennedy is one of the well-known Presidents of America who proved to be a legend in the American history and was assassinated four decades back in Dallas.

The writer of this book, Michael O'Brien, is a retired professor of history from University of Wisconsin -- Fox Valley and writer of biographies of several other political personalities like Joseph McCarthy and Philip Hart. One specialty of O'Brien is his ability to tell stories; he is an impressive story teller. His story telling ability has allowed him to write this biography in such a way that it keeps the reader entertained and engaged throughout the book. He has made this book narrative and interesting for the reader by writing it in such an intelligent manner that it becomes easy to read and enjoy.

O'Brien worked almost eleven years to write this biography of President John F. Kennedy. He has researched diaries, letters, medical records, oral histories, financial papers and all the sources that he could collect for getting the right information. His efforts are evident from this massive 971 pages book that not only gives his interpretations but also cites all the work and studies of literature. Along with describing the strengths and weaknesses of Kennedy, O'Brien has also disclosed several new stories about Kennedy's presidency.

Several books have been written on Kennedy's career but none of author took the advantage of the stock of books and articles written about Kennedy. O'Brian however, used all these books in his research and created a fair and balanced book that gives a fresh perspective about President Kennedy's life. He has tackled the personality of Kennedy as a legend and a man (Pederson, 2004). He has provided detailed information to the readers and written everything in depth. He has proved that he writes everything honestly and makes effort to investigate and write the truth whether he writes about his friend or enemy.

John F. Kennedy being the most beloved presidents in the American history was also criticized by several historians, journalists and others. Therefore, O'Brien has portrayed more personal side of the Kennedy in this book and has shown his journey from childhood to presidency. O'Brien has well written the details of the serious illness of Kennedy and the influence of his commanding father and determined brother on his entire life. His father considered him irresponsible and childish so he always looked for ways to make his father happy and win his love.

The book focuses on all the perspectives of Kennedy's life. It provides the background information about Kennedy's family and explains how Kennedy became an important figure in the American history and a leading personality in the American politics. It also highlights how Kennedy made wrong calculations, shared his doubts about democracy with the public and encouraged using fear-based ideas for manipulating the Americans.

O'Brien has also focused on Kennedy's greed and hunger for getting information about the problems that he faced. He states that Kennedy always listened to advices of all those whom he considered to be worth hearing but made his decisions in the end. In order to support his own interpretations, O'Brien used a tactics of grouping on the record public comments of different politicians, historians and journalists. At several places in the book he summarized a question from all angles and gave Kennedy a benefit of doubt in cases where there was a disagreement. For instance, when discussing the case of Kennedy's award winning book "Profiles in Courage" O'Brien argued that it was not completely ghostly written as mentioned by its offenders but it took benefit from the work of several other researchers and writers.

One negative aspect impact of this book is O'Brien's almost equal focus on Kennedy's greed and hunger for sex. He has offered a detailed look at the Kennedy's pathological approach towards women and sex (PRWeb, 2004). He has written several chapters about it and also connected it with other section of his work. This attempt creates a bad impression of Kennedy in public's mind, giving a perception that this informative book focuses on the list of Kennedy's sexual partners.