Phil Albinus = father of three, husband, magazine editor, paperback hound, frustrated drummer, and aspiring novelist. I wear khakis - got a problem with that?
Chris Matthews’ Jack Kennedy Elusive Hero is, and I mean this in the best possible way, probably the perfect introduction of JFK to a young reader. It’s light yet galloping. Revealing but only to a small degree. It sheds no new light but does show the dual nature of the 35th president. Sadly, despite the title Matthews has little interest to go into the man’s dark side. Looking for news on his countless affairs and how all Kennedy men seemed to treat women like true madonnas or whores? Look elsewhere. Sure JFK was compartmentalized - do we use this word only for presidents like Nixon and Clinton? - and you can guess that Matthews wrote this book to imagine himself back in the days of Irish ward bosses, back-room deals and brokered conventions. His writing is lively but it sure takes off when writing how JFK won the election in 1960. The title of that chapter? Hardball.
