AN UNFINISHED LIFE

This newest biography of JFK is indeed a profile in courage. The impression of youthful vigor must have come at great cost because the man was almost always sick and frequently in pain. Richard McGonagle brings the president to life, mimicking the famous accents so well that his renditions of Kennedy speeches compare favorably to Kennedy's own renderings, also available at Audible.com. The biography attempts to hit all the high points, so there are sections where the air is very thin. Yet this listener was grateful just to hear again the voice of an informal, almost self-deprecating leader who, during an earlier time of nuclear instability, was able to say: "Our problems are man-made. Therefore, they can be solved by men." B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]