Profiles in Courage - by John F Kennedy

About the Book

The Pulitzer Prize-winning classic is now offered in a beautiful hardcover edition with a new Introduction by Caroline Kennedy.

Book Synopsis

THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING CLASSIC OF POLITICAL INTEGRITY

With a foreword by Robert F. Kennedy and introduction by Caroline Kennedy

John F. Kennedy's enduring classic resounds with timeless lessons on the most cherished of virtues--courage and patriotism--and remains a moving, powerful, and relevant testament to the indomitable American spirit

During 1954-55, Kennedy, then a junior senator from the state of Massachusetts, profiled eight American patriots, mainly United States Senators, who at crucial moments in our nation's history, revealed a special sort of greatness: men who disregarded dreadful consequences to their public and private lives to do that one thing which seemed right in itself. They were men of various political and regional allegiances--their one overriding loyalty was to the United States.

Courage such as these men shared, Kennedy makes clear, is central to all morality--a man does what he must in spite of personal consequences--and these exciting stories suggest that, without in the least disparaging the courage with which men die, we should not overlook the true greatness adorning those acts of courage with which men must live.

As Robert F. Kennedy writes in the foreword, Profiles in Courage "is not just stories of the past but a book of hope and confidence for the future. What happens to the country, to the world, depends on what we do with what others have left us."

From the Back Cover

"This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues-- courage. 'Grace under pressure, ' Ernest Hemingway defined it. And these are the stories of the pressures experienced by eight United States Senators and the grace with which they endured them."

-- John F. Kennedy

During 1954-1955, John F. Kennedy, then a U.S. Senator, chose eight of his historical colleagues to profile for their acts of astounding integrity in the face of overwhelming opposition. These heroes include John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, and Robert A. Taft.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1957, Profiles in Courage -- now reissued in this handsome hardcover edition, featuring a new introduction by Caroline Kennedy, as well as Robert Kennedy's foreword written for the memorial edition of the volume in 1964 -- resounds with timeless lessons on the most cherished of virtues and is a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit. It is as Robert Kennedy states in the foreword, "not just stories of the past but a hook of hope and confidence for the future. What happens to the country, to the world, depends on what we do with what others have left us."

Review Quotes

"It is refreshing and enlightening to have a first-rate politician write a thoughtful and persuasive book about political integrity." -- New York Times Book Review

"A book that deserves reading by every American." -- Springfield Republican