“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie–deliberate, contrived, and dishonest–but the myth–persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.”
–John F. Kennedy

Statesman and hero, opportunist and fraud. John F. Kennedy’s contradictions have inspired such fascination that the public’s interest in him has never dimmed. Now, with the same striking technique she used in the bestselling Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill, Gretchen Rubin has written an enthralling new work that captures the crucial elements of Kennedy’s story.

Rubin’s “forty ways” approach highlights JFK’s high ideals, trenchant wit, glamorous family, and unforgettable charisma; it also examines his astonishing sexual appetite, his lies to the public, his shrewd manipulation of the press, and his exploitation of imagery. By showing the many sides of JFK–ranked by the public, but not historians, as one of America’s greatest presidents–Rubin invites readers to decide whether Kennedy was a great statesman or a shallow charmer; whether his success was due to his own merits or to his ruthless father; whether he could be both an unfaithful husband and a good man.

Most important, this biography seeks to solve the enduring puzzle about JFK: What made Kennedy Kennedy? What made him such a dazzling, unforgettable figure? How did he become a secular saint and a political movie star? Rubin illuminates Kennedy’s provocative character and explains the source of his enduring magic as not even the most exhaustive JFK studies have managed to do.

Forty Ways to Look at JFK stands out among Kennedy biographies as a splendidly focused assessment of Kennedy’s life, presidency, and myth. It is for both Kennedy fans and anyone fascinated by the impact of his personality on American culture and politics. Crisp, vivid, and brilliantly readable, it is a significant addition to the author’s innovative approach to biography.

Reader Reviews

Kori

(3/5)

Nov 21, 2024

Not as good as "Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill", but worth the read.

Ginger

The subject matter: fascinating. The execution: a little less interesting than Rubin's 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill.Perhaps because I knew more about JFK than Churchill (thought I'd never read a biography of either), or perhaps because Kennedy's life was shorter and therefore provided less "ways" to look at him, but I found this volume to be a bit repetitive.Still, worth a read, especially for Kennedy fans. And I sincerely hope Gretchen Rubin does more of these 40 Ways biographies.If you...

Stephanie

(4/5)

My interest in reading this book was to try and get a true picture of a man who has become a legend. The veneration JFK receives seemed to be incongruous with the few things I knew about him/his presidency: the Bay of Pigs which in most accounts was a disaster, the space race which I admire but is it really cause for legend hood, and civil rights which my recollection put more squarely on Johnson's shoulders, and of course his mysterious assasination. So what did Kennedy do that made him such a

Joni McNeal

Different perspectives of JFK I hadn’t considered but made a lot of assumptions of previous knowledge with no real timeline.

Kate

(5/5)

By far one of my favorite Kennedy books, and I have read many. A new look and take on the Kennedy legacy-the author looks to explain what made Kennedy-Kennedy, one of fortunes favored few with an enduring interest and love from the American people.

Emi Rigby

A very unique approach to a biography, this book goes through the life of JFK subject-by-subject. All sides of Kennedy's life are examined separately, giving you a good idea of the man and his presidency.

Jarom

Gets repetitive as it goes on, but fascinating discussions at times, especially when trying to investigate his actively cultivated media presence.

Bill

Gretchen's Rubin's tour de force on the life and presidency of John F. Kennedy, for which her excellent 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill now seems a warm up, presents a many-faceted view of both Kennedy's meteoric political career and his hidden personal life. As Rubin points out, borrowing Isaiah Berlin's famous comparison, if Churchill was a hedgehog guided by one great idea, Kennedy was a fox, whose perspective constantly shifts. While Kennedy may not have lived up to the stature of his h...

Ruth

(2/5)

The reason I knew this book existed was reading the Ms. Rubin's happiness book. I am always interested in most things Kennedy (which is not my fault, Kennedy fascination was like fluoride in water during my upbringing, inescapable). I did not learn anything new about JFK, but that was kind of the point; the author wants to look at all the info and contrast and compare, as we did in high school English class.So the idea has potential, I think, but the end product is limited. The format is like a

Brittney

Rubin calls the Kennedy story “the ‘beach book’ of presidential biographies,” and that’s the perfect summation of this book. The Forty Ways format got a little repetitive, but I knew almost nothing about JFK, so it was an enlightening read for me (though I wish I could scrub my mind of the details from that dude’s sexual exploits).

Mary Beth

She really shows us 40 different ways to look at JFK! Fascinating information.

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Forty Ways to Look at JFK

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Forty Ways to Look at JFK

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Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

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Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness

Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life

Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill: A Brief Account of a Long Life

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Reader Reviews