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  • Ask Not

  • The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed
  • By: Maureen Callahan
  • Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
  • Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)

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Ask Not

By: Maureen Callahan
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
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Publisher's Summary

The No1 Sunday Times Bestseller

A Mail on Sunday ‘Best Holiday Read 2024’

‘A searing exposé’ Glamour

‘A timely reminder of the dangers posed by men who crave power’ – Observer

From New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse—the family's generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem—and the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot.

For decades, the Kennedy name has been synonymous with wealth, power, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the Kennedy men's legacy of physical and psychological abuse of women, part of a tradition of toxic masculinity that spans generations and has ruined untold lives. Through scandal after scandal, the family and their defenders have managed to keep this shameful story out of the spotlight. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys' hidden history of abuse and exploitation, laying bare their rampant misogyny and restoring women to the center of the dynasty's story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Mary Richardson, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren't nearly as well known – but rightfully should be.

Drawing on years of fierce reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled American family, showing how the Kennedy myth and their raw political power has enabled the clan's many predators while also silencing generations of traumatized women and girls. At long last, Callahan also redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys' orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves—and giving voice to the countless others who could not do the same.

©2024 Maureen Callahan (P)2024 Hachette Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

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Informative

Poor Rosemary. I mean, it’s all pretty bad; the way we’ve put this family - the men in particular - on a pedestal, only to find out they’re a bunch of chronic miscreants, reinforced by a Matriarch that was a religious zealot. I feel sorry for all the women who had the misfortune of finding themselves in the Kennedy orbit, but poor Rosemary, that was heartbreaking.

The narration of this audiobook was exceptional, excellent modulation and editing.

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Jaw dropping

The information in this book needs to be heard . The cover up is just astounding .

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Illuminating & Outstanding

History has long demanded this book - one which balances the oh-so legendary prior recounting of the Kennedy’s as almost God-Like, infallible & the standard bearers of greatness & wonder. The women left by the Kennedy’s to wither & be publicly destroyed - or worse - whitewashed from existence deserved this recounting & recognition of their experiences & lives to balance the mainstream narrative that the Kennedy’s have so long sought to minimise, hide & dismiss. The author has created an exceptional book that allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the lives of the Kennedy women and girls, many of whom were expendable in the Kennedy’s self-curated narrative of their own self-importance & significance. Thank You Maureen for this much-needed, well researched, beautifully written book.

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Fantastic read

I can’t recommend this book more highly. It’s incredibly well researched and a very balanced account of the challenges these women faced.

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What a story

My goodness, I thought I knew it all about the Kennedy story. This book reveals more fascinating information but my opinion remains the same. All Kennedys are odious and despicable human beings. Even the women, it appears, are in on it too. They supported and turned the other cheek and facilitated each other's vile behaviour. I include Jackie in this, I don't fell sorry for what she had to put up with as some have commented over the years. She took Joe's money and strategicly planned and manipulated her life around money, fame and prestige. Camelot is all a lie and so are the revolting Kennedy clan.

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Fascinating

A well written and well researched book, with a new spin on the Kennedys. Tragic stuff but still manages to be a very interesting and enjoyable read. Good to see the new emphasis here.

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Riveting

I was in from the first minute and never left. Both brilliant and heartbreaking.

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Harrowing but important

A necessary counter to the myth making around the Kennedy clan. Reminds us that media bias is nothing new

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