Review of “The Power of Citizenship: Why John F. Kennedy Matters to a New Generation,” by Scott D. Reich, 2013.
Dallas, TX: Benbella Books. Cloth, 281 pages.
Do we help on the streets effectively? Do we help in a way that would make JFK proud of us? Are we asking often enough just what we can do to help our country?
As helpers, social workers, travelers, bike riders, nurses, and agency staff members, do we think about our impact? Do we help people to learn how to lift themselves up by their bootstraps? Do we teach them to succeed?
The author of this books is a practicing attorney in New York City who wears several additional hats and has given us a clear and detailed reminder here not only of the world of JFK but also an explanation of the crucial elements of JFK’s legacy that can help younger people. Providing a clear timeline of JFK’s life, in addition to many direct quotations from the president,
…Reich discusses all of the most important happenings of JFK’s life and how those events influenced a whole generation.
Scott Reich 10 years ago was talking about the importance of JFK’s beliefs. Those were pre-COVID days.
Now, after COVID-19, it is even more essential for younger people to understand the power and charisma of JFK’s words and to comprehend the sometimes turbulent times in which the president stated them. Recounted for young readers here are facts about the first Black students being escorted into buildings at the University of Alabama. (Twenty years later when I taught at Alabama, I was lucky enough to hear Coretta Scott King speak in the auditorium where the confrontation had taken place.)
Reich also spelled out the lessons learned from the Bay of Pigs. The message of peace, so strong throughout the June 1963 speech at American University, resounds still.
Reich tells us also how so many lessons and so much guidance came from JFK. The reminder that citizens should contribute to, rather than demand from, their government is an important one. Knowledge of where the Peace Corps came from is another fact important for young people to discover.
Yet another important value is the need for Americans to develop more pride in their country. This is an ambitious yet essential element of our lives as citizens if we are to endure as a nation.
As helpers, social workers, educators, and healthcare workers, I hope we will embrace these stories and make them readily available to our students, from the very young to the students we teach in our graduate courses. As citizens, I hope we will remember the words and hopes of JFK as we vote, make decisions, try to solve the issues of homelessness, racism, and hunger both in our own streets and in other lands.
Younger people—and adults—can learn a great deal from the works of JFK. There is rich history about JFK we must repeat and reveal.
I remember the day JFK was shot and how my mother–Irish-American and Catholic–wept aloud and bitterly, exclaiming, “Of course they had to kill him: he was too good.” Growing up in a household where his speeches were played on our old stereo, I remember the great love my mother had for JFK and only later came to understand what he tried to achieve in his short life.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because of all the attention to detail and the chance to see so much information on JFK presented clearly and in one place. The author did a great job of not only covering all things JFK but also explaining why the legacy is an essential one to share with one people today who are developing their sense of US citizenship.
I recommend this book for a variety of educational levels. It is certainly an important fit for juniors and seniors to gain college-ready skills in reading and history, as in the Common Core Standards.
The book can be used in college and university classes, also. It is applicable for freshman seminars on things American. It is good for surveys on civics and government. It is also helpful in courses on American history.
The book can also be used in book clubs—one of my favorite venues for discussing books and ideas!—and a great way to start and nurture friendships among colleagues. People can begin as total strangers and come to be great champions of causes, together.
I really cannot say enough great things about Reich’s book. I hope you will share it with a young person that can benefit from knowing about another great American.
Mentoring young helpers is one of our most important duties on the street!