Iron Rose

Book excerpt: Rose Kennedy was born in 1890 and died in 1995. The mother of nine children, she outlived four of them, two slain by assassins. Her eldest, Joseph, perished during World War II, while her second son, John F. Kennedy, ascended to the highest office in America. Her sons, Robert and Edward, also assumed political power, but their lives were marked with what many called the “Kennedy curse.” Never before had there been such a world-famous matriarch, a woman who had given so much and yet had so much taken away. In this intimate and revealing portrait of Rose Kennedy, Cindy Adams and Susan Crimp set the record straight about the real power behind America's political throne for more than 40 years. They identify Rose—"Queen Mother of Camelot"—as the one constant pillar of strength who kept America's most powerful and privileged family together. Iron Rose is the tale of one of the strongest women in America's history—a woman guided by her faith in both her family and her religion—and ensures Rose her rightful place as one of the 20th century's most influential women.