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| Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History | 
 enlarge | Author: Ted Sorensen
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $20.98
You Save: $18.97 (47%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B001946QE0
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 First rate in every way! May 19, 2008
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
I had the distinct pleasure to meet Mr. Sorensen 19 years ago when he very graciously gave me an hour of his time to talk about JFK. I knew that night that I was in the presence of a special person. I loved this compelling book. Get it now!
 "Counselor" Could Have Used Some Counseling July 11, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History I was very disappointed in Sorensen's book, primarily because about the only thing he gives JFK credit for is his hiring him! It is as if he believes he was the president himself. Most offending is that clearly he does not connect his speechwriting rules "less is more" to his biography. After almost every description of a positive development in JFK's, Sorensen adds a paranthetical note crediting himself or noting how he predicted the outcome, making it an aggravating read. Sorensen has forgotten that he was part of a team and should have left the credit with the subject that is interesting; JFK and his administration (and subsequent relationships).
His opening comment is completely disengenous about his being uncomfortable about too many "I's". This is a man that is so full of himself...
Sorensen deserves credit for his service to the country, as I am sure he is a phenominal individual and was instrumental in shaping policies to the benefit of his sponsor and the US. But he is not an individual that one should devote the first 90 pages about his upbringing and background about...he simply is not that interesting...he was not the president of the United States...and this book is not that interesting because of it.
Best Political Memoir of Our Time June 24, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ted Sorensen subtitles his memoir Counselor as "A Life at the Edge of History." It is, in fact, a rarely candid and insightful account of a life at the very center of history.
Sorensen is widely known as JKF's speechwriter, but he was much more. He was JFK's liberal conscience and go-to-guy for everything from the handling of the "Catholic issue" in Kennedy's run for the White House to the writing of the letter to Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis. The combination of keen intellect and inspiring idealism that anchored Sorensen at the center of JFK's political life is crystallized on the pages of a retrospective clearly aimed at bringing both the author and his country closure on the shattering of that brief window of greatness.
Don't come expecting a tell-all from this member of the Kennedy inner-circle (not just JFK, but Robert and Teddy, as well). Surely Sorensen is the faithful keeper of many secrets. He traveled with JFK throughout his campaigns, competed with RFK in the White House, enjoyed a close friendship with Jackie, and jeopardized his own political future by helping the family "handle" Chappaquiddick; but beyond the general and widely known stories, you'll get nothing new from Sorensen. He remains, as he has always been, the loyal keeper of the flame. What Sorensen does provide is a clear-eyed and frank view of his own life and its sizeable impact on political history of our times.
For anyone who still remembers where he or she was when the gunshots rang out in Dallas, this book is a behind-the-scenes revelation of a history we lived, but never really knew. For those too young to remember, the book is, as JFK himself would have wanted, a torch of liberal idealism passed to a new generation. To that end, Sorensen has accomplished with book the goal he set. He has completed his service to the President he loved.
82 & Counting July 2, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the most moving, realistic depiction of JFK I have ever seen. Many will forever rant and rave over his personal peccadillos, but this man was a leader. His speech at American University, which was his way of dealing with Soviet & American feelings about nuclear war included the following. "For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet; we all breathe the same air; we all cherish our children's future; and we are all mortal." I heard that speech as a young man. I am now 82 and it still rings in my ears. I was raised an avid republican, but I am proud to have helped vote him into office. His like hasn't been seen since.
 A Pleasant Read June 6, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
An interesting mix of the author's own autobiographical details and his personal and historical insights into John Kennedy's presidency. Lacks the flair and fascination factor of Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s recent memoirs, but should be of reasonable interest to students of recent American history
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