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Sign up todayRosemary
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Learn moreThey were the most prominent American family of the twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.
Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled—a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.
Major new sources—Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors’ letters, and exclusive family interviews—bring Rosemary to life as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then, as the family’s standing reached an apex, the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three and the family’s complicity in keeping the secret.
Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly twenty years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.
Kate Clifford Larson is the author of the critically acclaimed biographies Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero and The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln. She has been a consultant and interpretive specialist for numerous museum and public history initiatives, focusing on the lives and contributions of women in the making of our national identity.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.
Reviews
“The forgotten Kennedy is forgotten no longer…A book about the Kennedys that has something new to say.”
“It is Rosemary herself who shines from the pages of this profoundly revealing family story.”
“Heartbreaking.”
“Compelling psychological, socia,l and political insight.”
“Larson deploys excerpts in heart-rending fashion, showing a sweet, insecure girl who was desperate to please…She has produced a valuable account of mental health tragedy and an influential family’s belated efforts to make amends.”
“A heartbreaking book that makes clear the pain and passion behind the Kennedy family’s efforts on behalf of the disabled.”
“Riveting…fascinating…compelling.”
“Narrator Bernadette Dunne delivers the author’s examination of a privileged life gone horribly wrong…Compassion for Rosemary’s strength to survive and her inspiring effect on her brothers and sisters is evident in Dunne’s performance. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
“A well-researched biography.”
“Engrossing…This expertly researched work offers a candid examination of a once-forgotten member of one of America’s most famous families.”
“Larson’s well-researched and fascinating history includes Kennedy anecdotes as well as major developments in American life…Heartbreaking and illuminating.”
“The author presents a well-rounded portrait of Rosemary before the lobotomy, a beautiful young woman full of spunk and love, and the destruction of that vibrant person as a result of the operation…A well-researched, entertaining, and illuminating biography.”
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