Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed

Ask Not:  The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed

by Maureen Callahan

Blurb:

The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact.

Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys’ hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well known but should be.

Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys’ orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.

My Reaction:

Biographical nonfiction is a genre I only rarely ever read.  When I have, the subject has usually been an author rather than a politician, much less an entire family of politicians—but this sounded interesting, and I thought maybe it would be an entertaining way to learn a little more about this period of American history. 

In school, we always seemed to cover the more distant past in great detail, while anything more recent than WWII was skimmed over hastily, which is a shame.  As important as our earlier history is, there are many lessons in relatively recent history that are just as valuable and possibly more relevant to an understanding of current events.

Anyway… Thanks to my upbringing, I’ve never understood the obsession with/admiration for the Kennedys, and I didn’t know much about them beyond the basics you almost can’t help but absorb as an American adult who sometimes pays attention to politics. 

From skimming others' reviews, I gather that the book has some factual details wrong—things that should have been easy to check during editing.  That's a shame, as it encourages questions about the accuracy of the rest of the book.  Another complaint is that the book sometimes feels a bit gossipy, and I can't disagree, but to be fair, that may be difficult to avoid, given the nature of the material covered.  

On the whole, I feel confident that “enough” of this is accurate to present a reasonably fair idea of who many of these people were/are. The meat of the book is not facts, figures, and details, which can be looked up online at any time, but rather the broader picture of the attitudes, values, and behaviors that seem to have prevailed among so many members of this famous family.  

As someone with no illusions about the Kennedys, I’m not surprised that they’re worse than I knew—and that’s just the stuff that’s evidently widely known and accepted as fact.  I also have to say that few of the “women they destroyed” come out looking good, either—particularly the women who seem to have gone into their relationships despite having plenty of evidence that it was a terrible idea.  The Kennedys weren't the only ones in this book who were driven by an excess of ambition and a lust for power.  

All in all, this was a depressing reminder that the best of us rarely end up in positions of political power, and sometimes even scummy, dishonorable individuals are almost worshipped, if they have the right look, excellent PR, and enough of the media covering for them—oh, and money or influence, either of their own or borrowed from people who are using them for their own nefarious purposes.  It’s disgusting, honestly.  I wouldn't say that no Kennedy ever did anything good for the country, but I certainly don’t believe they deserve the many decades of adoration they’ve enjoyed in our nation, and the notion of “Camelot” makes me sick, quite frankly, especially now that I know the backstory. 

On a personal note, every time I listened to this book, I ended up in a bad mood!  This isn’t the best genre for me, clearly. 

Thud!

Thud!

by Terry Pratchett

Blurb:

Koom Valley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. It was very far away. It was a long time ago.

But if he doesn't solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office.

With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, he must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. And darkness is following him.

Oh... and at six o'clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, he must go home to read "Where's My Cow?," with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy.

There are some things you HAVE to do!

My Reaction:

I read this with Donald.  (I've yet to read anything by Pratchett that wasn't a shared read with Donald; he's the one who introduced me to the Night Watch series of novels.)

I enjoyed it!  I don't think I have anything specific to say, except that it's enjoyable reading.  

I went in feeling slightly ambivalent (nothing personal, just how I'm feeling about a lot of things lately), but soon remembered that this world is funny and homey. 

Aunts Aren't Gentlemen

Aunts Aren't Gentlemen

by P.G. Wodehouse

Blurb:

The curious case of the Maiden Eggesford Horror

When the doctor advises Bertie to live the quiet life, he and Jeeves head for the pure air and peace of Maiden Eggesford. However, they hadn't reckoned on Bertie's irrepressible but decidedly scheming Aunt Dahlia, around whom an imbroglio of impressive proportions develops involving The Cat Which Kept Popping Up When Least Expected. As Bertie observes, whatever aunts are, they are not gentlemen.

A classic - the last book written by Wodehouse featuring Bertie and Jeeves.

My Reaction:

Another re-read together.  I enjoyed it, though I do think I preferred the Jeeves & Wooster book we read before this one, Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit.  Still, plenty of good laughs, as always!  You can't beat Wodehouse when you're feeling in need of something light.

Bridge to Bat City

Bridge to Bat City

by Ernest Cline

Blurb:

After losing her mother, thirteen-year-old Opal B. Flats moves in with her uncle Roscoe on the family farm. There, she bonds with Uncle Roscoe over music and befriends a group of orphaned, music-loving bats. But just as the farm is starting to feel like home, the bats’ cave is destroyed by a big mining company with its sights set on the farmland next.

If Opal and the bats can fit in anywhere, it’s the nearby city of Austin, home to their favorite music and a host of wonderfully eccentric characters. But with people afraid of the bats and determined to get rid of them, it’ll take a whole lot of courage to prove that this is where the bats—and Opal—belong.

My Reaction:
Donald and I read this one together for the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back podcast.  

This is one mystifying novel.  I mean, just who was it written for?  It's marketed for "middle grade" readers, i.e. kids aged 8-12, and for the most part, it feels like it's written at that level of complexity—though to be honest, I'm not sure the language has been simplified all that much in comparison with RPO and the author's other novels.  

But on the other hand, so much of the novel is just an excuse to shoe-horn in as many 80s(-ish)-era Austin, Texas "notables" as possible. (In many cases, these people seem to be merely Austin-adjacent.)  Essentially, the subject matter is just nothing that a typical modern child would ever care about.  Heck, I'm in my mid-40s, and I didn't recognize probably half of these so-called celebrities.  

Even if these people (mostly musicians and bands) making cameo appearances had been someone a 9-year-old reading in 2024 would immediately be able to identify, so what?  Reading vague, repetitive descriptions of people (and melomaniac bats!) listening—excuse me, grooving—to music is just not very engaging or entertaining.  

Music is meant to be listened to, darn it!  It would take a more talented writer than this to make it enjoyable to read about a single concert attendance, never mind the numerous gigs presented back to back in this book.  (What in the world was the author thinking?!)

There are other problems with this book I could go into, but why bother?  It's not an entertaining read for an adult, and I can't imagine many of the intended audience will love it, either.  I guess it was just a desperate attempt to make some money based on the author's name recognition.

Good Bad Girl

Good Bad Girl

by Alice Feeney

Blurb:

Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home, but at eighty-years-young, she’s planning her escape. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything.

Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door…and their intentions aren’t good.

With every reason to distrust each other, the women must solve a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. If they do, they might just find out what happened to the baby who disappeared, the mother who lost her, and the connections that bind them.

My Reaction:

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel.  Actually, I believe I've listened to the audio version of all of this author's novels, so far.  ...And I think I may have enjoyed this more than most of the author's other books that I've read or listened to.  

I predicted some of the twists before they were revealed, but it was still an interesting (though bittersweet) story.  It's less of a true thriller than some of her other work, but to be honest, I didn't mind that. 

There's a murder in the book, but it feels like a subplot to the main story.  You almost don't care what happens with that part of the book, really—or at least it wasn't my main focus.  This novel is more of an emotional relationship drama than an edge-of-your-seat thriller drama.  Normally, that might be disappointing, when an author is known more for the thriller genre, but I ended the book feeling satisfied with the story.