Book Review : The Road to Camelot by Thomas Oliphant & Curtis Wilkie

 

My Review

 

 

The Road to Camelot  gives an in-depth account of JFK’s  five year campaign. I first found out about this book through Amazon. I was looking at the new releases and upcoming releases and then I spied.

 

I was super excited because this is not the first book I have read on Kennedy’s campaign. The last book that I read was the “Irish Brotherhood by Helen O’Donnell, which I enjoyed a lot.

 

I think that I was being unfair to this books because I was having expectations for it that it couldn’t possibly meet.  I wanted this book to be more like the  Irish Brotherhood.  But after thinking about it I am glad that it’s not.

 

The Road to Camelot  was well written and very detailed, which I liked. I have to admit that it took me longer to get through this and absorb the information. I do recommend that if you get this book plan on trying to re-read it again.

 

The book gives a fair account of JFK. This book covers the five years of his campaign.

 

 I get the sense that they admired him and his accomplishments but they were not afraid to point out some of his faults either.  Like his  extramarital affairs that could  and sometimes did put his campaign at risk.

 

The writers wanted to debunk the myth that the only reason JFK ran for President was due to his father. Which was not totally true,  it sounds like that JFK would listen to his father,  but if he disagreed with him then he would go and do his own thing regardless if Joe approved or not.

 

The main thing I liked about this book was that we got more detailed account on certain events.

Like the events that took place during the 1956 Democratic convention.  Which Kennedy was setting his sites on the VP position,  but things fell through with that and it was during this time that Kennedy decided that he was going to run for President himself.

 

I can’t help but wonder how things would be different had Kennedy had gotten the VP Position with Adlai Stevenson.

I also liked how they covered Johnson in this as well.  We see him from the perspective of the Kennedy Camp and then we see the Kennedy camp from Johnson and his  supporters viewpoints.

 

Which I loved,  because it gives a broader view. Plus it don’t make it seem like the writers are bias to one side.

 

I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in reading about the Kennedy campaign.  I also recommend the Irish Brotherhood by Helen O’Donnell as well.