After Camelot by J. Randy Taraborrelli

I always keep telling myself that they days of doorstop reads about the Kennedy Family are over until Randy Taraborrelli comes along and writes this engaging and enjoyable book which follows on from his first book on the Kennedy`s Jackie, Ethel and Joan, The Women of Camelot.
Like its predecessor this is a very well written and easy to read book, which engages and enlightens the reader and takes the reader through all the tragedies, pain and achievements and joy that have lit the road for this most famous of American Families from 1968 until the present day. It was a page turner, didn`t  have a smidgen of dullness or slowness about it, yet managed to tactfully deal with some very serious issues that have plagued the Kennedy`s especially alcoholism which up until this generation have sat behind the impenetrable fortress that they erected for themselves and which the media once so dutifully played along with. Brand Kennedy is rather diluted these days and there is really nobody in the family that stands out as having the ability and charisma to take on politics in any but the most minor role, the Kennedy`s appear quite honestly to have been upsurped by the Bushes who have politicians coming out of their family tree like ants after sugar!
Divided into 24 separate chapters and narrated with a strident but balanced voice, the author strives to be fair and to unwrap those situations that you might have wondered about, he answers a lot of questions.
I liked this author`s honesty in the writing, the revisiting especially when the revisit shone a new light or offered a new voice when applied to a situation or a person`s behaviour, the level of unmawkish compassion that ran through the seam of this book was impressive, we all need a dose of humanity be we a Kennedy or not, it is to Taraborrelli`s ability as a writer that at no time does he ever dismiss the consequences of ill advised or ill thought out behaviour even when a background motivator such as alcohol is propelling the situation, there is the odd mistake or caption to a photo that isn`t correct but these are mere distractions.
A great read, this book is available at Dymocks in Newmarket and is also available via the Library system.