The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy

Written by:
Jean Kennedy Smith
Narrated by:
Lorna Raver

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
1
Narrator
1
Release Date
October 2016
Duration
5 hours 28 minutes
Summary
In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal under one roof.

Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. ''Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?'' ''How would you address this horrible drought?'' ''What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?'' It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedys into who they would become.

Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America.''No whining in this house!'' was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.

In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. ''They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life,'' she writes. ''We were lucky children indeed.''
Reviews
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Amandine A

This is a great book that gives a unique insight into the everyday life of the legendary Kennedy family. The development of the plot is written with great skill and I was happy to learn what a great author Jean is! I hadn’t expected the book to give such a intimate insight into the family where Camelot began but was very pleased to find out that Jean left little out of their childhood. This highly detailed narrative reveals why all of Joe and Rose Kennedys’ children turned out to be highly successful in anything they tried their hand at! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know where the Kennedy clans enormoes drive and success steamed from; it all began when they were very young children. I would also suggest parents to read this book as somewhat of a guide to successful parenting. Joe Kennedy should be a great inspiration to us all in the way he raised his children, always available and ever so affectionate toward his kids while at the same time being a figure of authority guiding them to the right paths in life. I believe that his way of raising his children to view their family as a unit was the reason why the children remained close and without fall outs all through their life. All his success as a businessman and in politics fades in comparison to his success in raising his children to become brilliant role models and sources of inspiration to people still today. With all sad tales of family feuds and siblings falling out, the way Joe raised his kids should serve as a leading example of how to bring up your family in a way that, should you follow his brilliant parenting techniques, will assure that you will remain close all throughout life and most importantly; your children will always have time for one another and be able to lean on each other through the bad times and enjoy each other from their childhood until their late years in life. I would like to thank Jean Kennedy Smith for this intimate glimpse into your very personal memories of early life!

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