The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women - Softcover

Koehler-Pentacoff, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1610881753 ISBN 13: 9781610881753

Publisher: Bancroft Press, 2016

Synopsis

Rosemary Kennedy, younger sister of President John F. Kennedy, was lobotomized in 1941 at age 23. In 1959, she was put out of public view at a remote facility in rural Wisconsin, where, for more than twenty years, she remained unvisited by family and non-family alike, until 1962.

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff (Liz) and her parents were likely the first non-Kennedy family members to visit Rosemary following her lobotomy. Liz was niece to Rosemary's caretaker, Sister Paulus, a Catholic nun at St. Colleta, and she visited Rosemary on a regular basis for the next thirty-four years. Through their friendship, Liz discovered the person many had forgotten or never known.

In 2015, ten years after Rosemary's death, Liz came forward with a fascinating book about the hidden daughter of America's royal Kennedy family. "The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women" is truly unique. It is an eyewitness account of Rosemary's post-lobotomy years, the first published by a non-family member, and it's augmented by nearly 100 never-before-seen pictures of Rosemary after she was lobotomized.

Liz can shed considerable light on so many questions, the four biggest being:

Why did no one visit Rosemary for more than two decades?

What quality of life did Rosemary lead after her lobotomy?

What should have been the correct diagnosis of Rosemary's pre-lobotomy condition?

And in what ways did immense good come from Rosemary's tragic life?

This touching story of the intersection of two families will leave you with a unique portrait of the missing, but not forgotten, Kennedy.

About this title

Review:

"Such a touching book!" -- People Magazine "Aunt Rosemary inspired so many to work against injustice and ignorance. Her struggle and her immense legacy will be felt and celebrated by reading this exceptional book."-- Bobby Shriver Fascinating story! -- BBC World News Service (Claire Marshall, "Newsday") "Reveals an untold chapter in the Kennedy saga... Also shows how knowledge of Rosie's disability led to the founding of the Special Olympics by Eunice Kennedy... Interesting glimpses into one member of the Kennedy clan who was almost lost to her family." -- Kirkus Review "The Missing Kennedy is a truly inspiring story. It captures my Aunt Rosie's spirit so well. I especially love how it intertwines the stories about Rosie and the authors Aunt Stella. And it provides some great glimpses into the authors experiences with both of them." -- Anthony Shriver "Poignantly discloses our nation's shortcomings, both historically and contemporarily, when it comes to understanding the mentally ill and intellectually challenged. Also reveals the dearth of research concerning the women of the Kennedy family, which pales in comparison to the body of work focused on its men... This is especially true of Rosemary Kennedy, the eldest Kennedy sister, who was lobotomised and kept from her family and the public eye for over 20 years... It was the author's aunt, Sister Paulus, who was Rosemary Kennedy's caretaker at Saint Coletta, where Rosemary was kept for many years after her lobotomy only exacerbated her intellectual and emotional challenges Koehler-Pentacoffs book offers an intimate glance at the sheltered life that Rosemary lived while her glamorous family grew in prestige and power... Heads in the welcome direction of telling the largely untold story of Rosemary Kennedy, and the story of the intellectually challenged and their allies in the fight to place them as equal members of society." -- Irish America "Anyone in the world whos interested in the famous Kennedy family will find this fascinating memoir to be essential reading. Rosemary Kennedy was the least known member of the family but, it turns out, one of the most significant in the big scheme of things. If you dont read The Missing Kennedy, you wont know a critical and enlightening part of the Kennedy story." -- Dr Abe Bortz, American Historian

About the Author:

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff was born and raised in rural Wisconsin, but left the Midwest for college in California and has returned only for family visits. She has written seven books for children and two for adults, including The ABCs of Writing for Children, a Writer's Digest Book Club Selection. She's also written hundreds of articles for magazines and newspapers such as Columbia, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Parents Magazine. She's married and lives with her husband in northern California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1610881753
• ISBN 13: 9781610881753
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 200