The Sins of the Father

The New York Times–bestselling author's definitive biography of Joe Kennedy, the man behind America's most revered political dynasty.

An ambitious politician and master manipulator, Joseph Patrick Kennedy sought power for himself and his family with shameless cunning. Based on extensive research and interviews with Kennedy family members and their intimates speaking on the record for the first time, The Sins of the Father offers a candid portrait full of shocking revelations about one of America's most influential figures. 

To the myth-makers of his day, Joe Kennedy led a charmed existence. He was celebrated as the son of an East Boston saloonkeeper who rose to become one of the richest men in the country. He served as the wartime ambassador to Great Britain, the chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and the chairman of the United States Maritime Commission. He was also a major legitimate liquor distributor, a moviemaker in Hollywood, and a Wall Street tycoon. 

Yet his fortune, estimated at $100 million, traced its beginnings to his career as a bootlegger in partnership with organized crime during the Prohibition era. Even more disturbing, he was a documented anti-Semite and an appeaser of Adolf Hitler. The beaming family portraits and admiring newsmagazine prose never portrayed any of his many mistresses—or hinted at his seemingly unlimited corruption and duplicity.