
Rosemary
The Hidden Kennedy Daughter
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Narrated by:
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Bernadette Dunne
They were the most prominent American family of the 20th century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.
Joe and Rose Kennedy's strikingly beautiful daughter, Rosemary, attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet Rosemary was intellectually disabled - a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.
Major new sources - Rose Kennedy's diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews - bring Rosemary to life as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then, as the family's standing reached an apex, the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early 20s. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age 23 and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.
Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly 20 years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.
©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...




















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Despite your political and religious affiliations, I don't know how you could come away from this story without cursing Joe and Rose Kennedy under your breath as two of the most selfish and loathe-some people you have ever heard about.
Roses fixation on her children's weight, her denial of Rosemary's disability, her ignoring adult Rosemary for decades . . . Joe's womanizing, his selfishness when it came to his career, his role in lobotomizing his daughter to keep her docile, his keeping the reality of his secret decision and its terrible outcome from his family for so long . . . .
Yes, ultimately some good came from the the outrageous treatment of the beautiful and innocent girl, thanks to Eunice's instigation. She seemed to be one of the really genuine and caring people this family produced, and I did appreciated learning about her role in improving the lot of disabled persons world-wide.
Very good narration that took just a bit of time to get comfortable with.
Read at your own risk!
This Sad Story Bruised My Heart
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Awesome book
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Great Book, disappointed in narrator
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Not the book I had in Mind
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Rosemary's Contribution
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A Beautiful Lady!
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intriguing idea but a little long winded
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This book is most likely ten times more interesting if you actually read it
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ANOTHER Kennedy "curse."
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Rosemary: A thoughtful perspective
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