“Washington Post news editor and features writer Bzdek. . .delineates [the story] succinctly and compellingly. . .Bzdek does a fine job.” —Kirkus

“The strength of Bzdek's book is to put Kennedy's accomplishments in the context of his family history” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Vincent Bzdek is a superb writer and terrific researcher. He's gotten to the heart of what made the Kennedy brothers such a powerful force in American politics.” —Tom Cronin, author of The Paradoxes of the American Presidency

“In a timely and readable biography, Vince Bzdek describes in authoritative and colorful detail Ted Kennedy's remarkable rise from the bottom rung of the legendary Kennedy family's public service ladder to a transcendant role in American politics, government and public life.” —Len Downie, former executive editor of The Washington Post, and author of The Rules of the Game