Ask Not

The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed

De: Maureen Callahan

Narrado por: Gabra Zackman

From New York Timesbestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse—the family’s generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem.

The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys’ hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well known but should be.

Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last, Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys’ orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Bold, brave and original, Ask Not takes a sledgehammer to the myth of Camelot. This is an unforgettable book—a necessary reckoning that will forever change the way I view modern American history."—Susannah Cahalan, author of The Great Pretender and the #1 New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire

“A harrowing, incendiary swirl of tragedy, true crime, and reconsidered history, Ask Not sets a match to the glamour and mystique of America’s most famous family. With incisive wit and wisdom, Callahan exposes the individuals and the celebrity culture that aided and abetted so many Kennedy men.”—Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

Generational Trauma

This is nothing more than generational trauma playing out among the rich and powerful. What strikes me most is that these men were not stopped by those in power or adjacent to power around them. I’m struck by the way in which abuse perpetuates with enablers as well as damaged souls looking for resolution to their own childhoods by being with people who will carry on where their caretakers left off.

As for Mary Kennedy, I cannot say that I see a lot of blame on Bobby’s part… yes, he cheated and was probably very ill-equipped to give Mary what she wanted and maybe needed; but, I don’t think the children of borderline mothers would be very sad to have their fathers divorce them and cut them off. They are highly abusive and destroy their children’s lives if they don’t get help to heal before raising children. I think Amber Heard is a great example of this. I wish my own father had divorced my extremely abusive BPD/NPD mother. Some of my childhood, teen years or even adulthood may have been salvaged from her reign of terror and may have changed the entire course of mine and my siblings’ lives for the better.

As for the corruption, sexual assaults, murders and infidelities, these men are wholly responsible and to blame for the damage they caused and should not be upheld in public opinion as they are. However, the resolve to stay with such men, and the enabling, by these women shows the lack of nurturing and self worth they came out of their childhoods with, which is evidence of the generational trauma that created their own cognitive dissonance and made them wholly susceptible to continually choosing that which hurt them. I blame their parents. And I’m sad they did not get the help and support they needed to choose better for themselves before it was too late for them to experience real love.

Sadly, this dynamic plays out in all classes. Power dynamics that are abusive are happening in the poorest of families, the middle class and with those who have political and religious power and influence. It’s legitimized spiritually as well as socially and politically by being swept under the rug, covered up, excused and enabled in the name of “the greater good”. Our only hope as a species is to find healing and to nurture children to have healthy boundaries and self love so that there is no need or kink or perversion of the soul to abuse others and to subconsciously crave abuse by others in order to work out early life traumas. Narcissistic injury in early development is the surest way to perpetuate these atrocities in society and it happens by parents and caregivers who have not healed their own narcissistic injuries…hence, generational trauma.

Things I never knew…

Good book, interesting and an easy listen. Never knew the extent of the cover up that went on and still does.

Holy Moly

As a 57-year-old, I thought I was familiar with a lot of Kennedy history, especially from the '80s and beyond. Turns out I barely knew a thing. Two things really stood out in my mind from what I thought I knew - Ted murdering Mary Jo, and William and his rape trial. I was really appalled with the unfairness of both situations and let's face it, the grotesque-ness of both situations. I was a young woman during the William trial and it was really horrifying watching the media and the attorneys smear the hell out of this poor woman when it was really obvious that he really did it. I will never forget the repulsion of his smug facial expressions. I'm quite glad this was covered, along with Chapaquiddick, Mary, Rosie, Martha Moxley, Jackie, Joan, Kick and many more.

This book was bravely done, and the narration was excellent. I had to pause many times over the last several days because at times I was so shocked I had to let my brain catch up with what I heard. And I had to think about it, letting myself process the disgust, the horror, the evilness that is the smiling Kennedy who looks like the boy next door. The author did a great job collecting the information and presenting it in a way that better displays the family dynamic than I have read in the past about this family.

One thing is beyond sure. We need to get all of the Kennedys (and their ilk) out of our political system or we will never break out of this misogyny. We have woken up having become the proverbial frog in the boiling water!

Fallen idols

Nothing new here. Just an affirmation of the many rumors and stories that evolved through the years. These men were no better than the pimps who prowl the streets, exploiting women. I grew up in the 40s, and although women were not yet “feminized”, they were more respected than they are today. These young ladies had to be super stupid to believe they were anymore than a toy for the pig in the White House. Jackie Onassis was a first class phony, who could have made a difference, instead of going with the flow. I read this book in one sitting, feeling guilty about listening in to the devastating affect these monsters had on these weak women.

So Good—Historical w Critical Analysis

Bravo! I learned so much more about the multitude of women who suffered greatly under Kennedy men. I will relisten and share widely.