Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

The first Kennedys : the humble roots of an American dynasty / Neal Thompson.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Boston : Mariner Books, [2022]Copyright date: ©2022Description: xiv, 336 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, genealogical table ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780358437697
  • 0358437695
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Introduction -- Prologue -- Bridget the refugee. Bridget's escape ; Bridget at sea ; Bridget on the farm ; Bridget in the city -- Bridget and Patrick. Bridget goes to work ; Bridget gets married ; Bridget the mother ; Bridget the enemy -- Bridget alone. Bridget the widow ; Bridget the servant ; Bridget the hairdresser ; Bridget the grocer -- Bridget and P.J.. P.J. the rascal ; P.J. the longshoreman ; P.J. the bartender ; P.J. the Democrat -- P.J. P.J. the legislator ; P.J. the senator ; P.J. the boss ; P.J. the American -- Epilogue: Joe and John.
Summary: Today, we remember the Kennedys as an iconic American family - the vanguard of wealth, power, and style, rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple, Patrick and Bridget Kennedy, who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 929.2097 T474 Available 33111010645626
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 929.2097 T474 Available 33111010807697
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Here is that rare thing: an untold chapter in the Kennedy saga. . .Compelling and illuminating."--Jon Meacham

Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine; created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics; and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America.

Their Irish ancestry was a hallmark of the Kennedys' initial political profile, as JFK leveraged his working-class roots to connect with blue-collar voters. Today, we remember this iconic American family as the vanguard of wealth, power, and style rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Here at last, we meet the first American Kennedys, Patrick and Bridget, who arrived as many thousands of others did following the Great Famine--penniless and hungry. Less than a decade after their marriage in Boston, Patrick's sudden death left Bridget to raise their children single-handedly. Her rise from housemaid to shop owner in the face of rampant poverty and discrimination kept her family intact, allowing her only son P.J. to become a successful saloon owner and businessman. P.J. went on to become the first American Kennedy elected to public office--the first of many.

Written by the grandson of an Irish immigrant couple and based on first-ever access to P.J. Kennedy's private papers, The First Kennedys is a story of sacrifice and survival, resistance and reinvention: an American story.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 318-323) and index.

Introduction -- Prologue -- Bridget the refugee. Bridget's escape ; Bridget at sea ; Bridget on the farm ; Bridget in the city -- Bridget and Patrick. Bridget goes to work ; Bridget gets married ; Bridget the mother ; Bridget the enemy -- Bridget alone. Bridget the widow ; Bridget the servant ; Bridget the hairdresser ; Bridget the grocer -- Bridget and P.J.. P.J. the rascal ; P.J. the longshoreman ; P.J. the bartender ; P.J. the Democrat -- P.J. P.J. the legislator ; P.J. the senator ; P.J. the boss ; P.J. the American -- Epilogue: Joe and John.

Today, we remember the Kennedys as an iconic American family - the vanguard of wealth, power, and style, rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple, Patrick and Bridget Kennedy, who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America.

Powered by Koha