[.ca] American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy Jr. (ISBN 0312988990)

the best JFK Jr. book:
I'm sure all the controversy helped sales of this book, but it definitely gave me a misleading impresson of both the book and its author. I didn't read American Son for a while after it came out because I was turned off by the controversy. But eventually I broke down and bought it and I'm glad I did. In retrospect, some of the people who trashed the book didn't even seem like they'd read it, but were just reacting to the hype about it, or had some personal ax to grind. (You can definitely tell that some of the reviews on Amazon were written by people with a hidden agenda.) Anyway, American Son is well-written and easy to read, and feels a lot more honest than most of the Kennedy books out there. You really get a sense of what JFK Jr. was like-funny, warm, likeable, but surpringly vulnerable and unsure about his future. Also, I enjoyed reading about what it was like to work at George magazine. I was a charter subscriber, and I always thought it was an underrated magazine. So the book's not just about JFK Jr., but about the magazine business, politics, and New York in the 1990s. I've read all the books about John Jr., and this is definitely the best.

A Surprisingly Good Book:
I basically picked up this book because I was looking for something "non-fiction" to read, and I wanted to learn more about the life of JFK, Jr. I was also a fan (I majored in Political Science in college) of George Magazine, and could never really understand why the magazine didn't catch on with the public better than it did. I was somewhat hesitant to pick up this book because of the bad press that some critics had given it when it first came out. What I found, was a non-sensatinalized account of what it was like to work with JFK, Jr. and to know him as a high level employee. When the author talks about his own personal life, it adds context to the story of Mr. Kennedy, rather than getting in the way, or distorting his role in his life. He does not try to portray himself as a confidente or best friend, but only as an employee, who shared a work bond. This gives the book a great deal of credibility. The author gives a good insight on what Mr. Kennedy was like, and what it must be to live the life of a celebrity and an historical icon. I think those individuals who have criticized this book in professional book reviews were either jealous, or in some misguided way trying to preserve their version of the Kennedy legend. There is no "dirt" dished in this book, but it does give a well rounded picture of the subject from one point of view. If anything, it is less critical of the subject than I would have expected. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the latter part of Mr. Kennedy's life or an insider's look at some of the politics within George Magazine.

Just ok...:
The book was an easy read. It was only ok. I got some insight of JFK BUT I had already read most of what he wrote. Not the best book I have ever read.....

Interesting Idea for a Book:
I thought the idea of a book about John Kennedy, Jr.'s tenure at George magazine was a good one. Instead of a slick and glossy tome about "America's Prince" or "The Most Beautiful Man in America," his former associate, Richard Blow, has fashioned a interesting account of the beginnings and ultimate ending of a man's search for identity and purpose. That JFK, Jr. was able to put together a political magazine as he saw that world, does indeed make for fascinating reading. The inner workings, in-fighting and eventual ending of a publishing phenomenom is a nice change from the usual tabloid fare that we are used to seeing about members of the prolific Kennedy family.

Disappointing:
If you want to learn anything new about JFK jr. do NOT read this book. The book is basically one long whine-fest about why the magazine "George" failed (hint to Blow: because it was stupid!). Richard Blow apparently saw in the death of Kennedy his one shot at fame--nothing else had worked. Don't waste your money on this one.