---
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title: "Profiles in Courage: JFK's Pultizer Prize-Winning Classic"
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---

# Profiles in Courage: JFK's Pultizer Prize-Winning Classic

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Profiles in Courage: JFK's Pultizer Prize-Winning Classic [Kennedy, John F.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Profiles in Courage: JFK's Pultizer Prize-Winning Classic

Review: Book, Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy, 1956 - This volume is the 50th anniversary edition with forward by Robert F. Kennedy and Introduction by Caroline Kennedy, and this edition published in I believe 2006 (according to the fly leaf). "This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues - courage. Grace under pressure," Ernest Hemingway. In four parts, the books presents the stories of courage that various people throughout our American history exhibited: e.g., John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, George Norris, Robert A. Taft, and other men of political courage. A valuable addition to any personal library. Easy to read typeface and line spacing. Great paperback! Well wrapped packaging and delivered within the estimated shipping dates.
Review: Both the book and the desertcart reviews offer extraordinary insights on today's sociopolitical condition - Though I had seen many citations from the book over past decades, I never read it before now. The book as well as the many desertcart reviews offers important insights to me. First, already the introductory pages surprised me by the the colorful, punchy but sophisticated writing. This was especially true given that much of the description dealt with politicians who were obscure names in history even in the mid 1950s when the book was first published. It turned out that my surprise was a valid reaction. As one reviewer put it, the book was really written by a Kennedy speechwriters and researchers (primary the work of Ted Sorenson, according to his biography). In short, Kennedy could more accurately be regarded as the editor rather than author. I had not known that. I nevertheless credit Kennedy for his interest in an important subject and the stimulus to get the book done. In browsing authentic quotes from him in the Kennedy library, I found him a nuanced and balanced politician - unusual for presidents and leading politicians in the post World War II period. The idea of putting skilled speechwriters normally engaged in making ordinary politicalese sound interesting and memorable to work in articulating history seems to me to be inspired and original. And from interviewing Ted Sorenson a couple of years before his passing, I also realize that he did not necessarily have deep scholarly knowledge or interest in his subjects beyond ideological aspects - so Kennedy had to have been the primary integrator of research and exposition for the book. Besides the fascinating vignettes of courageous senators who paid the price of defeat for sticking with their principles, the book offers often jarringly candid quotes. For example, consider this quote from Walter Lippman, a leading columnist with a half century of experience observing the American political scene: "With exceptions so rare that they are regarded as ..freaks of nature, successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance politically only as they placate, appease, bribe, seduce, bamboozle, or otherwise manipulate the demanding and threatening elements in their constituencies." As a born-again student of American history for practical rather than intellectual or cultural reasons, I think that Lippman's corrosive picture - and Kennedy's reservations about it [from his ten-year exposure to high politics Kennedy felt the challenges and complexities of serving as a U.S. Senator had to be taken into account in judging senators' performance] deserve serious attention from people who care where America is going. Turning from five to 3-star reviews to 1 and 2-star reviews, I got another surprise. Many of these negative reviews were by ninth graders. It turned out that Kennedy's book has been widely incorporated in mandatory reading lists in high school classes. Here are excerpts that to me tell a not unexpected but disturbing story. *"This book may have been written very well, but as a kid I found it boring. There Really wasn't anything in there to keep my attention. It was basically all facts about Senators that were alive many years ago. I don't think this book should be required reading because it really doesn't have any relevance to today's world. JFK should have made the book on the Senators that were in office durring the time that he wrote it and not on the Senators of the past." (and it gets worse) *" J.F.K. was a great man and wrote a very good book. It was true, well written, and informative, but a book about dead senators doesn't really interst a 14 year old 9th grader. I must admit that some parts, VERY few, were interesting, but I don't really care for this book. Actually, I hated it and would never bother to read it again! * *"A review titled "A kids review: Being a President doesn't make you a good witer", December 27, 2005 John F. Kennedy might have been a good president, but he was not a good writer. He had good intentions when he wrote this book, yet the way it was written made it a three snoozer on my scale. When he was writing this book he forgot that a audience needs to be grabbed, not put into a never ending slumber" *"My friend and I had to read this book this summer for our sophomore English Class. We hated this book with a passion. Who cares about senetors a long time ago. Certainly not two teenage girls. This book was the worst book either of us had ever read. We don't recommend this to anyone even a senetor who cares. [Incidentally, the above review earned several putdowns. The best one follows: 'I agree. Your summer hours would have been better spent in a remedial English class. You were not ready for 10th grade'." To me these students' rejection of the Kennedy book has a good and bad side. One the good side they exemplify De Tocqueville's finding that Americans tended to reject authority - which led to bold and independent ideas. On the bad side they exemplify De Tocqueville's finding that that Americans tended to reject authority - which led to ignorance, superficiality, and tendency toward bandwagon thinking. Coming from a pre-1960s high-school environment characterized by mainly cognitive philosophies of education, I recognize in these students the influence of post-60s affective philosophy of education that deemphasized facts, knowledge, and skills in favor of students challenging existing ideas and being able to form original positions. The United States is now struggling to reverse the consequences of social promotion and other educational policies that have adversely affected especially those disadvantaged groups that the reformers wanted to help. People might be surprised that anyone with a serious interest in American politics would take the time write at this length after more than 100 reviews had already been submitted. I have noticed, however, that comments from thoughtful and well-informed people often come at the end rather than beginning of a long series of comments on a e-zine article or heavyweight blog. I conclude that once conflicting positions had been aired they, like me might use the medium to articulate ideas on the subject. Even if few people might see the points, the writers might feel that reflections on the topics might come in handy in later personal research and work. In any event, I want to raise a loud cheer for Jeff Bezos for the inspiration of allowing open review books (and later products) on the desertcart Company's website. This revolutionary idea has now extended to products of every type. I regard it as among the most genial and influential ideas to emerg since the beginning of the 20th Century. While the review system can't fix the nation's flooded and often polluted information stream, it broke the previous the previous monopoly on communication on subjects of importance by popular media and authors of scholarly books and articles.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #27,400 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #62 in Political Commentary & Opinion #64 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality #72 in Political Leader Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,043) |
| Dimensions  | 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches |
| Edition  | Edition Unstated |
| ISBN-10  | 0060854936 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0060854935 |
| Item Weight  | 10.4 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 304 pages |
| Publication date  | April 11, 2006 |
| Publisher  | Harper Perennial Modern Classics |

## Images

![Profiles in Courage: JFK's Pultizer Prize-Winning Classic - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kM3abkq3L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book, Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy, 1956
*by M***E on September 21, 2024*

This volume is the 50th anniversary edition with forward by Robert F. Kennedy and Introduction by Caroline Kennedy, and this edition published in I believe 2006 (according to the fly leaf). "This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues - courage. Grace under pressure," Ernest Hemingway. In four parts, the books presents the stories of courage that various people throughout our American history exhibited: e.g., John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, George Norris, Robert A. Taft, and other men of political courage. A valuable addition to any personal library. Easy to read typeface and line spacing. Great paperback! Well wrapped packaging and delivered within the estimated shipping dates.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Both the book and the Amazon reviews offer extraordinary insights on today's sociopolitical condition
*by F***M on August 19, 2013*

Though I had seen many citations from the book over past decades, I never read it before now. The book as well as the many Amazon reviews offers important insights to me. First, already the introductory pages surprised me by the the colorful, punchy but sophisticated writing. This was especially true given that much of the description dealt with politicians who were obscure names in history even in the mid 1950s when the book was first published. It turned out that my surprise was a valid reaction. As one reviewer put it, the book was really written by a Kennedy speechwriters and researchers (primary the work of Ted Sorenson, according to his biography). In short, Kennedy could more accurately be regarded as the editor rather than author. I had not known that. I nevertheless credit Kennedy for his interest in an important subject and the stimulus to get the book done. In browsing authentic quotes from him in the Kennedy library, I found him a nuanced and balanced politician - unusual for presidents and leading politicians in the post World War II period. The idea of putting skilled speechwriters normally engaged in making ordinary politicalese sound interesting and memorable to work in articulating history seems to me to be inspired and original. And from interviewing Ted Sorenson a couple of years before his passing, I also realize that he did not necessarily have deep scholarly knowledge or interest in his subjects beyond ideological aspects - so Kennedy had to have been the primary integrator of research and exposition for the book. Besides the fascinating vignettes of courageous senators who paid the price of defeat for sticking with their principles, the book offers often jarringly candid quotes. For example, consider this quote from Walter Lippman, a leading columnist with a half century of experience observing the American political scene: "With exceptions so rare that they are regarded as ..freaks of nature, successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance politically only as they placate, appease, bribe, seduce, bamboozle, or otherwise manipulate the demanding and threatening elements in their constituencies." As a born-again student of American history for practical rather than intellectual or cultural reasons, I think that Lippman's corrosive picture - and Kennedy's reservations about it [from his ten-year exposure to high politics Kennedy felt the challenges and complexities of serving as a U.S. Senator had to be taken into account in judging senators' performance] deserve serious attention from people who care where America is going. Turning from five to 3-star reviews to 1 and 2-star reviews, I got another surprise. Many of these negative reviews were by ninth graders. It turned out that Kennedy's book has been widely incorporated in mandatory reading lists in high school classes. Here are excerpts that to me tell a not unexpected but disturbing story. *"This book may have been written very well, but as a kid I found it boring. There Really wasn't anything in there to keep my attention. It was basically all facts about Senators that were alive many years ago. I don't think this book should be required reading because it really doesn't have any relevance to today's world. JFK should have made the book on the Senators that were in office durring the time that he wrote it and not on the Senators of the past." (and it gets worse) *" J.F.K. was a great man and wrote a very good book. It was true, well written, and informative, but a book about dead senators doesn't really interst a 14 year old 9th grader. I must admit that some parts, VERY few, were interesting, but I don't really care for this book. Actually, I hated it and would never bother to read it again! * *"A review titled "A kids review: Being a President doesn't make you a good witer", December 27, 2005 John F. Kennedy might have been a good president, but he was not a good writer. He had good intentions when he wrote this book, yet the way it was written made it a three snoozer on my scale. When he was writing this book he forgot that a audience needs to be grabbed, not put into a never ending slumber" *"My friend and I had to read this book this summer for our sophomore English Class. We hated this book with a passion. Who cares about senetors a long time ago. Certainly not two teenage girls. This book was the worst book either of us had ever read. We don't recommend this to anyone even a senetor who cares. [Incidentally, the above review earned several putdowns. The best one follows: 'I agree. Your summer hours would have been better spent in a remedial English class. You were not ready for 10th grade'." To me these students' rejection of the Kennedy book has a good and bad side. One the good side they exemplify De Tocqueville's finding that Americans tended to reject authority - which led to bold and independent ideas. On the bad side they exemplify De Tocqueville's finding that that Americans tended to reject authority - which led to ignorance, superficiality, and tendency toward bandwagon thinking. Coming from a pre-1960s high-school environment characterized by mainly cognitive philosophies of education, I recognize in these students the influence of post-60s affective philosophy of education that deemphasized facts, knowledge, and skills in favor of students challenging existing ideas and being able to form original positions. The United States is now struggling to reverse the consequences of social promotion and other educational policies that have adversely affected especially those disadvantaged groups that the reformers wanted to help. People might be surprised that anyone with a serious interest in American politics would take the time write at this length after more than 100 reviews had already been submitted. I have noticed, however, that comments from thoughtful and well-informed people often come at the end rather than beginning of a long series of comments on a e-zine article or heavyweight blog. I conclude that once conflicting positions had been aired they, like me might use the medium to articulate ideas on the subject. Even if few people might see the points, the writers might feel that reflections on the topics might come in handy in later personal research and work. In any event, I want to raise a loud cheer for Jeff Bezos for the inspiration of allowing open review books (and later products) on the Amazon Company's website. This revolutionary idea has now extended to products of every type. I regard it as among the most genial and influential ideas to emerg since the beginning of the 20th Century. While the review system can't fix the nation's flooded and often polluted information stream, it broke the previous the previous monopoly on communication on subjects of importance by popular media and authors of scholarly books and articles.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nice product!
*by M***M on November 20, 2025*

Nice condition used book

## Frequently Bought Together

- Profiles in Courage (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
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- A Nation of Immigrants

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*Last updated: 2026-02-26*