Remembering that November day vividly, I read Kennedy books diligently.. This one is worth trying. The Kennedy men lived lives that intrigue even the most bored reader. Because the president was the most famous, we tend to Forget the others. The American royalty it seems will intrigue us continually. I like this book.

I enjoyed this book, which gives a great look at three amazing brothers, whose place in history is well-known -- but this gives more of the story!

Very well written book about the three Kennedy brothers. Interesting facts and smooth reading. This is a must read for any fan of the Kennedy brothers. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

The Kennedy Brothers have gone down in history as great American statesmen who made valuable contributions to the life of this nation. However, from the early formation their father gave them, they were groomed to think and act on a global level – and foreign affairs would be the foundational interest of them all. Lawrence Haas provides a much needed biography of the Kennedys in the world. He traces how each brother was schooled by their father, how they had formative overseas experiences as young men and then developed as each emerged more fully into public life. It was particularly interesting to examine the dynamic which saw the brothers tend to coalesce around the vision of the eldest, and then grow when tragedy created a vacuum. Additionally, Haas highlights how it was overseas tours in the wake of their loses which helped Robert and then Ted rediscover the purpose of their lives.

The Kennedy family has been an important influence in the US as well as around the world. Not just because they were wealthy and privileged. All the Kennedy children were expected from a young age to be knowledgeable in world events. They were encouraged to and expected to be involved in contributing to and making the world a better place for all. They each travelled all over world which helped them to see the positives as well as the negatives. This was in order to view the countries they visited firsthand and not be influenced by someone else's viewpoint.
I was amazed to read of the conversations that the children were expected to have at a young age; to research topics in order to have knowledgeable responses for their discussions; that Rose Kennedy clipped and posted magazine and news articles she thought were important for the children to read and discuss at mealtimes on a bulletin board. This is not an ordinary upbringing or are they the typical topics discussed around dinner tables then or now.
These three men, all very different personalities and strengths helped to shape the US by their experiences, hard work, and achievements. For all their faults they were good men with high ideals of helping other countries to become free from human rights violations, communism, and other wrongs.

This book is divided into three sections focusing on each one of the three Kennedy brothers – Jack, Bobby and Ted, with a good deal of crossover in each section. The author also has a tendency to bounce around the timeline in each section instead of building a chronological order. If the reader has read a great deal about the three there is not much new here. It is just a different focus. It will be a more enjoyable read for someone who has not read much about the brothers.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ll read anything on the Kennedys, one of the families that used to be considered American “royalty” for the power they held, the glamour they exuded, their philanthropic efforts, and more. I actually have a picture of RFK and JFK hanging on the wall that I found in a thrift store more than 30 years ago. So it was a no-brainer when NetGalley and Potomac Books offered The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire to me as an ARC, I jumped at the chance to read it to offer my honest opinion. The book goes on sale to the general public March 1, 2021.

“The Kennedys in the World tells a new, rich, fascinating, and consequential story about Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy. From an early age the brothers developed a deep understanding of the different peoples, cultures, and ideologies around the world; a keen appreciation for the challenges that such differences created for the United States; and a strong desire to reshape America’s response to them.

From their childhoods in the first half of the twentieth century, the brothers were prodded by their ruthless, demanding, win-at-all-costs father, Joe Kennedy, and their cold and distant mother, Rose, to learn and care about the world—and told they could shape America’s role in it. For more than six decades after World War II, the brothers shaped broad issues of war and peace as well as the U.S. response to almost every major global challenge of their times: the Soviet Union and China, the Cold War and Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Chile, Nicaragua and El Salvador, Korea and Vietnam, South Africa and Northern Ireland, and Iraq (twice).

In their time, America was what it remains today—the world’s greatest power, with roles and responsibilities that stretch across the planet. Consequently, as the brothers remade America’s empire, they invariably changed the world.”

The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire is not your standard Kennedy biography. Rather, it’s a look at how they viewed foreign policy, even at a young age, and how their frequent trips around the world help shape their views and helped them make decisions when they were in positions of power.

If you’ve read anything about the Kennedys, most of the information will not be new to you. As the book’s title implies, this book is how the brothers’ views of what was going on across the globe affected their decisions throughout their lives. In fact, it shows how some of Jack, Robert and Ted’s views changed as they got on the ground and visited certain areas of the world, getting a better understanding of what was going on instead of staying in Washington and relying upon reports from others to form opinions.

The book is divided into three sections, one section for each brother. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the book is about John F. Kennedy, since even at an early age, he had an interest in foreign affairs. But there’s a lot of crossover with each part, too, with Bobby and Ted appearing in the Jack section, and even the ghosts of Jack and Bobby in the Ted section. There’s even an epilogue, a What If? game that is so often played when discussing the brothers, especially Jack and Robert.

The biggest what if has to be Vietnam and JFK’s plans. The book shows evidence that Jack intended to pull out of the country, but not until after the 1964 election. Also interesting is that I’ve read now in more than one place that John Kennedy was not that big on the space race, despite his declaration to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s. There’s even a speech revealed where he talks about a moon mission should include the Russians as it should be an accomplishment of all humankind, not just one nation.

I also always find interesting the evolution of Robert Kennedy from Cold War Hawk to a man who vociferously opposed the very Vietnam War that he originally championed. He was honest when he brought it up, saying he had been in the administration that escalated the “police action” but that he had come realize that he was wrong in his views. Not many politicians admit they were wrong, and that’s why RFK has always been the favorite of the Kennedy family.

The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire is an interesting read if you care about the history of the world politics from the 1930’s right up until Ted’s death in 2009.

Stories of the Kennedys have been around for many years. This book is about the brothers. Anyone with interest in the Kennedys should read this story.

This book was not what I was quite expecting. It is jam packed with facts and information and is incredibly well-researched.
It is more of an academic read than a light, bedtime tome.
Although this wasn't my type of read, I understand it has an important place in academic and political literature.
My rating is thus based on the book's value in society rather than my experience of the book.

One can only imagine the impact not only on the USA but also globally, if the two out of the three brothers had not had their lives ended so prematurely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was a well-researched piece that kept me invested to what I was reading. I enjoyed learning about the Kennedys and I like the author's writing style.

From their childhood onward, their father pushed them and prodded them to do better, be better. Jack, Bobby, & Ted worked together and separately to make the country and the country's relationships around the world, better and more advantageous. They wanted to make America the best place it could be and a superpower in the world. This was an interesting book with pieces that I hadn't known before and i greatly enjoyed this book.