John Kerry: A Portrait

While there's no doubt that this collection of photographs of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry is partisan, Butler's 70 images nevertheless reveal a side of Kerry that is rarely seen in the news: his private demeanor. According to his introductory essay, Butler met Kerry at a party in 1964, and the two became close friends who kept in touch while Kerry served in Vietnam. In 1969, the friendship extended into a political partnership when Butler agreed to handle the media for Kerry's first campaign (for the Third Congressional District in Massachusetts). They were so short on staff, however, that Butler not only managed the campaign's media, he also took its publicity photos. Accordingly, this book contains plenty of b/w shots of idealistic, 20-something Kerry crafting speeches in modest headquarters, learning to circulate with the public, finding a common cause with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and generally finding his feet in a world dominated by players decades older than he. The photos that are most revelatory, however, are the ones taken off the campaign trail: images from Kerry's marriage to Julia Thorne in 1970, from their joint honeymoon with friends in Jamaica, from his marriage to Teresa Heinz in 1995 and from vacations with his two daughters. It's fascinating to see the genuine affection Kerry evinces when he drops his campaign face and relaxes among his friends. Now a professional news photographer and film director, Butler is working on the big Kerry bio-pic due for release this fall. If that film hits big in the box office, it could well send this book up the bestseller lists.