This week at In The Past Lane, the podcast about history and why it matters, we take a close look at Robert F. Kennedy. Here’s the lineup:
1) First up, it’s a short feature on the basics of the life of RFK.
2) Next, I speak with author Larry Tye about his new book, Bobby Kennedy: The Making of A Liberal Icon (2016, Random House). Tye is the author of many best-selling biographies and he’s at his best in this new look at RFK. One of the myths he’s eager to dispel is the notion that there were two, polar opposite Bobby Kennedys – the bad boy in the 1950s who worked for Sen. Joseph McCarthy and later waged war on organized labor and the saintly good guy in the mid-1960s who fought for social justice.
3. And we bring you two remarkable audio clips from the 1960s. First, an excerpt from RFK’s 1968 speech, “The Mindless Menace of Violence” and second, Ted Kennedy’s eulogy for RFK two months later.
4. Mercy Street Rewind: Historian Megan Kate Nelson drops in for her weekly review of PBS’s historical drama, “Mercy Street,” We call this segment, Mercy Street Rewind. This week, we talk about season 1, episode 5. PLEASE NOTE: to avoid dropping spoilers on unsuspecting listeners, this Mercy Street Rewind feature appears as a separate segment. You’ll find it listed as MSR S1Ep05 in your iTunes cue, right after In the Past Lane Episode 005.
About Larry Tye
His website http://larrytye.com/
Further Reading and Links
Thurston Clarke, The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America
Robert F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy in His Own Words: The Unpublished Recollections of the Kennedy Years
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Robert Kennedy and His Times
Evan Thomas, Robert Kennedy: His Life
Larry Tye, Bobby Kennedy: The Making of A Liberal Icon (2016, Random House).
RFK’s 1968 speech, “The Mindless Menace of Violence”
Ted Kennedy’s eulogy for RFK, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, June 8, 1968
Music
Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (courtesy, JayGMusic.com)
Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)
The Womb, “I Hope It Hurts” (Free Music Archive)
Jon Luc Hefferman, “Epoch” (Free Music Archive)
The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)