Past Has Another Pattern: Memoirs Book

"A man does what he must ' in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers, and pressures ' and that is the basis of all human morality."
― John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage



It is now almost tradition that presidential candidates will publish a book prior to campaigning for the highest elected office. Profiles in Courage, however, was one of the earliest and most successful of these campaign books. While Kennedy largely wrote the beginning and the end of the book, the profiles of the senators profiled in this book were largely written by Ted Sorenson.

The book also won the Pulitzer Prize, but when viewed objectively is best seen as more hype than history. This doesn't mean the book isn't good and interesting. It certainly was brilliant in providing more light and more prestige on this young Senator from Massachusetts, but it is hard to also take the book completely serious as history. Perhaps, I'm too cynical. Perhaps, I'm too narrow, but it seems more contrived than commendable, more packaged than pleasurable, and more directed at increasing Kennedy's profile than increasing American courage.*

* This comes from a comment often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that she wished "Kennedy had a little less profile and more courage".