Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit

Matthews, author and host of MSNBC’s Hardball, capably narrates the audio edition of his biography of Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy, published 50 years after R.F.K.’s assassination. Matthews reveals the young R.F.K. as a man caught in the shadows of his two older brothers. Joe Kennedy Jr., the favored son of his father, who was killed during WWII, and John F. Kennedy, who was a decorated war hero and president of the United States. Matthews does an excellent job of showing the evolution of R.F.K as an up-and-coming politician from a prominent family who manages, through family tragedies and political tribulations, to mature into a man with deep convictions. Those unfamiliar with Matthews’s television persona may find his hoarse voice and fast, clipped pacing off-putting, and the occasional oddly placed pause in the middle of a sentence gives his reading an unusual cadence, but his enthusiasm and admiration for his subject easily grab the attention of listeners. Matthews’s presentation is clear enough to satisfy his fans, as well as listeners looking for a general R.F.K. biography. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Oct.)