The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Good, 1988, Pbk, 1094 pgs, St. Martin's Press)

Used in good condition: cover has wear; pages have light wear. ISBN

0312909330

The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys is a 1987 book written by Doris Kearns Goodwin and published by Simon & Schuster. It covers two Boston Irish families, the Kennedys and the Fitzgeralds, from John F. Fitzgerald's baptism to John Fitzgerald Kennedy's inauguration. Upon its release, the book's insightfulness and detail were generally praised by several publications. However, in 2002, The Weekly Standard determined that the book plagiarized three other books, which were subject to criticism.

The book opens with John Francis being baptized in 1863 and subsequently focuses on the rise and fall of Rose Kennedy's father, John Francis Fitzgerald, in its first third. The book then covers the relationship between Rose Kennedy and Joseph Patrick Kennedy, also commenting upon Joe's failures, alcoholism and the prefrontal lobotomy on Rosemary Kennedy. The final section surrounding the three eldest Kennedy children reaching adulthood, which Goodwin dubs "the Golden Trio", ending with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.^[1][2]