"An enlightening and original portrait of an almost mythic family and the Irish-Catholic experience, and a portrait of the United Sates at its best and worst." --The Star-Ledger Acclaimed journalist Thomas Maier draws on groundbreaking research and unprecedented access to family members and archival documents to show how the unique Kennedy saga, which has captivated America for decades, was one shaped by the common immigrant experience. The Irish-Catholic immigrant heritage was always central to the Kennedy family experience--beginning with Patrick Kennedy's 1848 arrival in Brahim Boston, continuing with Joseph Kennedy's Vatican ties and through Jackie's revelations of sorrow to Kennedy-confidante Father McSorley following the assassination of JFK. The Kennedys is a revelatory glimpse at a remarkable intersection of private beliefs and public politics--and a spellbinding American epic.