Ask Not is the definitive narrative of Kennedy’s quest to create a speech that would distill American dreams and empower a new generation. It is beautifully detailed account of the inauguration and the weeks preceding it. America was divided, the Cold War raged, as John F. Kennedy took office and sought to do more than just reassure the American people. His speech opened the brief, optimistic era known by many as Camelot. Thurston Clarke’s portrait of JFK is balanced, revealing the president at his most dazzlingly charismatic, but with a clear-eyed goal of where he wanted to lead the country.
This book was first printed in 2013 commemorating the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination.
- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books (December 28, 2010)