Review of 'Counselor : a life at the edge of history' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Ted Sorensen's inspiring if uneven memoir recounts in vivid detail the excitement of being John F. Kennedy's virtual alter ego from the time Kennedy was a young Senator from Massachusetts to the day he was brutally and unexpectedly gunned down in Dallas. Ever loyal to his fallen leader, Sorensen captures the Kennedys at their very best -- the idealism of the New Frontier, the founding of the Peace Corps, the management of the Cuban Missile Crisis (in which Sorensen played an instrumental part), and the introduction of the most far-reaching Civil Rights legislation in a century. Although not blind to the Kennedys' failings, from the Bay of Pigs to Judith Exnor to Chappaquiddick, Sorensen perhaps understandably prefers to dwell on their soaring aspirations, which Sorensen helped to cast in the most memorable American political rhetoric since Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Not surprisingly, it is hard for the account …
Ted Sorensen's inspiring if uneven memoir recounts in vivid detail the excitement of being John F. Kennedy's virtual alter ego from the time Kennedy was a young Senator from Massachusetts to the day he was brutally and unexpectedly gunned down in Dallas. Ever loyal to his fallen leader, Sorensen captures the Kennedys at their very best -- the idealism of the New Frontier, the founding of the Peace Corps, the management of the Cuban Missile Crisis (in which Sorensen played an instrumental part), and the introduction of the most far-reaching Civil Rights legislation in a century. Although not blind to the Kennedys' failings, from the Bay of Pigs to Judith Exnor to Chappaquiddick, Sorensen perhaps understandably prefers to dwell on their soaring aspirations, which Sorensen helped to cast in the most memorable American political rhetoric since Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Not surprisingly, it is hard for the account of Sorensen's life as an international lawyer and political advisor at the law firm of Paul, Weiss to match the heady days of his being the principal advisor to the President of the United States. As Sorensen wryly points out, the only job he ever really wanted was Special Counsel to John F. Kennedy, a job that abruptly ceased to exist in 1963. Nevertheless, Sorensen gamely describes his advice to Robert Kennedy, his correspondence with Jackie Kennedy, his encounters with world leaders ranging from Anwar Sadat to Nelson Mandela, and his failed Senate race and disappointing nomination for head of the C.I.A. under Jimmy Carter.
The book concludes, however, with the intense and moving story of Sorensen's struggle to recover from his stroke and subsequent blindness. All in all, Sorensen comes across as a likable Nebraskan of firm convictions and high principles who, through a combination of luck and ability, was privileged to occupy a pivotal position on the world stage for a brief, shining moment.