True Compass

Synopsis
Ted Kennedy's memoir. Speaks for itself.

My thoughts
I voted for Ted Kennedy once, shortly after I moved to Massachusetts. It's a mark of how popular he was that I didn't even know he was up for reelection until I got to the polling place and saw a campaign sign.  So I was interested to read more about him in his own words.

I generally stay away from books written by politicians because they're often more interested in laying out an agenda than anything else. I thought I'd be safe with a memoir written by a politician who knew he was dying and so couldn't run for office again. I was kind of right but kind of not. Kennedy does his best to spin events  like the tragedy at Chappaquiddick and his ill-fated 1980 presidential run. However, he does better explaining the cheating scandal at Harvard and how it forced him to grow up.

One characteristic I did admire was his ability to deal with harsh situations without self-pity. Life wasn't always kind to Kennedy. All three of his brothers died young and violently. Two of his children survived cancer, and he readied the book for publication knowing he was dying. But he plunged through life with a spirit of perseverance.

Kennedy's memoir is also an indictment of modern Washington politics. He was a master politician and he understood that you had to compromise to make things happen. And he did accomplish a lot in nearly five decades as a legislator. His fight for health care reform spans the book and he did not live to see the most recent iteration signed into law. In his memoir he candidly addressed the advantage of being born into a monied family and the responsibility he felt to fight for others who weren't as fortunate. His persistence in reforming the health care system bit by bit is a perfect example of that sense of responsibility in action.

Bottom line
Made me want to vote for him again.

Fine print
True Compass, by Edward M. Kennedy
Genre: politics, memoir
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from my library on my Kindle.