Kennedy, Edward M. True Compass: a Memoir. New York:
Twelve, 2009.
and
Team at the Boston Globe: Last Lion: The Fall and Rise
of Ted Kennedy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009.
as reviewed by Ten Odenwald
Here is an interesting choice: the memoir of the late Massachusetts Senator or an interpretive biography compiled and edited by several writers at the Boston Globe. I recommend reading both books to gain rich, deep insights into the personality, the struggles, and the achievements of a significant American political leader.
The memoir is more revealing in terms of the Senator’s perceptions of his family’s accomplishments and relationships. For the first three-and-one-half decades of his life, he seemed to have struggled as the youngest of four brothers, constantly falling short of the expectations of his siblings and of his father, Joseph Kennedy. Particularly interesting are his views on his role as the family patriarch, a responsibility thrust upon him at the age of 36 by a horrific sequence of tragedies. Likewise revealing are his warm, intimate descriptions of his relationship with his second wife, Vicki, whom he portrays as the brilliant, supportive, and inspirational partner of his last 16 years..
The Globe biography visits virtually all of the areas examined in the Kennedy memoir, but always with a questioning, analytical eye-alternately supportive and skeptical, laudatory and 
condemnatory. Although in many circles, Edward Kennedy was not very popular (in fact the Kennedy name still evokes much hostility in conservative circles), the first part of the title comes from a tribute paid EMK by Conservative Republican, John McCain: “I’ve described Ted Kennedy as the last lion of the Senate…the single most effective member of the Senate if you want to get results.” The second half of the biography’s title (“Fall and Rise”) alludes to the writers’ contentions that Kennedy spent the second half of his life seeking to redeem himself for having failed his family, his friends, his political party, his electorate, and himself. His “fall” came as a result of a series of misadventures arguably the result of intemperance, irresponsibility, immaturity, and bad luck. His rise came as the result of his concerted efforts to lead his family, to become the champion of education and universal health care, to become the advocate for hundred of suffering families that were buried in administrative red tape, and to become a leading critic of the government’s handling of almost every aspect of the Iraq War.
“True Compass” suggests a great deal about Kennedy’s memoir. Focus, determination, persistence, unwavering loyalty are all characteristics of the North Star. Ted, the youngest of four sons, strove constantly to live up to the incredible demands of his father, who had struggled all of his life in a bitter insularity caused by the anti-Irish prejudice of Boston Brahmins. Ted endured crushing catastrophes: the Chappaquiddick “affair,” life-threatening illnesses of his son and daughter, the assassinations of two of his brothers, a failed marriage, the failed frontal lobotomy of a sister, the debilitating stroke suffered by his father, and the deaths of Jacqueline and John F., Jr. Though each event was a stinging blow, Kennedy claims that he remained focused on his responsibilities to his family, to his constituents, and to his sense of self-worth. He views his personal failings-and he admits to many-and his family’s tragedies as being impediments, headwinds that made his life voyage difficult, but which he negotiated through concerted efforts of “tacking,” remaining focused on his ultimate objectives.
Both books are arranged in what is basically chronological order, allowing one to read parallel passages. Such readings are particularly interesting when reading the authors’ respective views of the following: the unanswered or problematic issues of Chappaquiddick; the value of Ted’s contribution to Jack’s presidential race; his persuasive strategies when promoting special issues such as Civil Rights, Education, and Healthcare; the personal qualities which kept him from the White House but made him an exceptional member of the Senate; his reaching out to the sick and to families of victims of terrorism; his dealing with each of the tragedies that afflicted his family; his opposition to the wars in Viet Nam and Iraq; his relationships with each of his wives; and his dealing with his terminal brain tumor.
Edward M. Kennedy found his niche in the U.S. Senate after years of “coming up short in comparisons to his brothers….” He became a more effective legislator than either brother had been, for he possessed the patience to pursue goals over a long period of time. He also could deal with the common citizen on a more personal level than either of his brothers had been able. His being for many years in the minority party “…enabled Ted to showcase the growing range of his legislative techniques….[B]y his fourth decade in the Senate, he was being compared to the greatest legislators in American history.”
Ted Odenwald and his wife, Shirley have lived in Oakland for 39 years. He taught HS English at Glen Rock High School for all of those years plus one more. Now he is enjoying time spent with his family, singing in the North Jersey Chorus and quenching his wanderlust. Ted is also the Worship Leader at the Ramapo Valley Baptist Church in Oakland.