The revelatory poignant story of Rosemary Kennedy the eldest and eventually secreted-away
Kennedy daughter and how her life transformed her family its women especially and an entire
nation. [Larson] succeeds in providing a well-rounded portrait of a woman who until now has
never been viewed in full.?The Boston Globe A biography that chronicles her life with fresh
details . . . By making Rosemary the central character [Larson] has produced a valuable
account of a mental health tragedy and an influential family's belated efforts to make
amends.?The New York Times Book Review Joe and Rose Kennedy's strikingly beautiful daughter
Rosemary was intellectually disabled a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous
family. In Rosemary Kate Clifford Larson uses newly uncovered sources to bring Rosemary
Kennedy's story to light. Young Rosemary comes alive as a sweet lively girl adored by her
siblings. But Larson also reveals the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys
made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly difficult in her early twenties
culminating in Joe's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three and the family's
complicity in keeping the secret. Only years later did the Kennedy siblings begin to understand
what had happened to Rosemary which inspired them to direct government attention and resources
to the plight of the developmentally and mentally disabled transforming the lives of millions.
One of People's Top Ten Books of 2015
