LESSONS FROM BOBBY

A reverential homage to Robert F. Kennedy on his 100th birthday from the Hardball host and longtime political commentator.

Matthews revisits themes from his earlier biography, Bobby Kennedy: Raging Spirit (2017), condensing them into 10 brief “lessons” meant to show why RFK’s character and ideals remain relevant in a fractured America. The narrative, barely 90 pages, padded with generous white space and followed by a lengthy appendix of Kennedy’s speeches, reads like a quick-to-market companion piece rather than a substantive reassessment. Still, Matthews’ admiration is heartfelt and sincere as he recounts Kennedy’s tenure as attorney general (1961-1964), his belated awakening to civil rights following the brutal attack on his aide, John Seigenthaler, while assisting the Freedom Riders, his pivotal role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his tragically brief but galvanizing run for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination. Matthews frames these episodes within a polemic against today’s political dysfunction, and his outrage is unmistakable. He castigates Donald Trump’s authoritarian impulses and the Democrats’ weakness in response, drawing explicit parallels between RFK’s moral courage and today’s lack of leadership. Yet notably, Matthews avoids any mention of Kennedy’s son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now a prominent and highly controversial figure in the Trump administration—a telling omission in a book otherwise steeped in present-day commentary. Matthews’ reflections are organized around thematic chapters. “Heal the Divide,” “Admit Your Mistakes,” “Uphold Human Rights,” and others use anecdotes and quotations from RFK’s contemporaries—journalists, aides, and historians—that add color but seldom much depth; admiration repeatedly eclipses analysis. Still, his closing reflection captures something of the mystique that endures: “It is fascinating to me, as an American and as a historian, how Bobby Kennedy’s memory has survived these many years. We see him as a strong leader but also as a vulnerable human being.”

A commemorative volume that honors RFK’s moral legacy but feels slight in both scope and depth.