The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy by Jean Kennedy Smith

The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy by Jean Kennedy Smith, 262 pages

The Nine of Us is a fascinating book about being a child growing up in the Kennedy Family.  Jean Kennedy Smith is the last surviving child of Rose and Joe Kennedy.  The book follows the children as they grow up in the shadow of Joe's political career.  Jean writes fondly of their summers spent in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.  I have read a few biographies on the Kennedy family, but I found this one really spoke from her heart of what it was like having eight brothers and sisters.  She really touched on the one on one relationships between her and her siblings.  This was a very enjoyable read!

The Missing Kennedy by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff

The Missing Kennedy by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff, 260 pages

The Missing Kennedy is a fascinating book about the eldest daughter of Rose and Joseph Kennedy.  From a young age, Rosemary Kennedy displayed signs of emotional and behavioral problems.  At the age of 23, Joseph Kennedy had a lobotomy performed on Rosemary, unbeknownst to Rosemary.  Joseph then had Rosemary sent to a Catholic-run home for the mentally disabled in rural Wisconsin.  This book is written by the niece of the Sister, Sister Paulus,  who cared for Rosemary during most of her adult life.  What is fascinating about this book is that it outlines Rosemary's relationship with her siblings, especially JFK, and her relationship with the Kennedy family after the death of Joseph Kennedy.  It also describes how Eunice Shriver started the Special Olympics.