True Compass: A Memoir
By Edward M. Kennedy
Read by John Bedford Lloyd Hachette Audio, (2009)
An Unabridged Recording on 17 CDs
ISBN: 978-1-60024-754-5
Genre: Biography
No matter what you thought of his politics, you have to admit that Edward "Ted" Moore Kennedy had an interesting life. The youngest child born into the Kennedy clan, he was the brother of such luminaries as President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. As a young man, he was involved in some very public scandals, such as the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969. Yet despite these scandals, and thanks in large measure to his family name, Ted was given the opportunity to spend the majority of his life in public service, and served as a U.S. Senator for the state of Massachusetts, from November 7, 1962 through August 25, 2009.
Ted Kennedy died of a brain tumor on August 25, 2009, and one of the many legacies that he left behind was a biography of his life. Entitled, True Compass, this biography was published shortly after his death. This audio edition of True Compass is unabridged, and it is unabashedly honest, looking at both his public and his personal life. Read by John Bedford Lloyd, this book is sure to interest anyone who enjoys an engaging biography, who wants to learn more about Ted Kennedy, the Kennedy's in general, or to better understand the role that Ted played in American politics.
Within the pages of this candid biography, Ted addresses a range of issues from what it was like to grow up under his father's strict authority, living with the assassination of two of his brothers, the role that his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy has played in his life, and what he had hoped to accomplish as a Senator. In writing this book, Ted worked with Ron Powers, a Pulitzer Prize winning author who coauthored such books as Flags of Our Fathers and who wrote many others such as Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain and Mark Twain: A Life. He also consulted not only his own memories, but also the copious notes that he kept throughout his career, as well as public records and other resources. While not a comprehensive biography of Ted's life, the end result of True Compass is that it is an engaging memoir that provides an insider's glimpse into the life and times of a man who was a pivotal figure in American politics for almost fifty years.
