KENNEDY

There are no book budgets so selective that there will be a choice between owning the Sorensen and Schlesinger. You've got to have both. And, down through history, comparisons will be made. On the basis of the limited exposure of the Schlesinger book in Life magazine, we're betting that in the long run, Sorensen's will have the stature, while the Schlesinger will always have gossipy energy. Kennedy in life was a man almost everyone wanted to know better and his tragic death has intensified this to the point where even the shoddiest souvenir books about him sell. Sorensen has produced a deeply felt memoir and a carefully documented record. It is a book people will not only read but wish to own. He was Kennedy's political intimate for 12 years, from the first Senate days to the end. In his introduction, Sorensen says that if Kennedy had lived, he would have written a book about himself and would, by temperament, have written a candid one. Sorensen aimed at candor and has achieved it with dignity. His book strikes no low blows at living office holders but does report and quote Kennedy on foreign policy, on domestic affairs, on finance, etc. Written with respect for the man and the truth--compelling reading.