Jack's Path of Courage

John F. Kennedy was a popular, charismatic president, beloved by many. But he didn't always believe he had the strength or courage for that office. As a child he was sickly and also overshadowed by his strong, capable, athletic older brother Joe. After Joe Jr.'s death John had to work hard to live up to his own expectations and to those of his father. He overcame pain and self-doubt to see the country through one of the most difficult crises in its history.

Doreen Rappaport once again combines real-life quotes with her own lyrical prose to create a moving portrait of a beloved figure. Matt Tavares' stunning artwork vividly depicts this unique time in history.

“As with these collaborators' Lady Liberty, the striking cover of this picture-book biography features a closeup portrait of the subject, all the more compelling in this instance with the omission of any type. In her signature succinct style, Rappaport fuses facts about Kennedy's personal and public lives with quotations from his writings and speeches. The author credits the 35th president for such achievements as establishing the Peace Corps and negotiating the first major weapons test-ban treaty with the Soviet Union, yet asserts, "not all of Kennedy's decisions were wise." She calls the U.S.'s 1961 invasion of Cuba "a disaster" and notes that, while violence erupted in the South as blacks protested for equal rights, Kennedy worried that he would alienate white Southern lawmakers. "For two years he hesitated," before "he took a firm stand and called for new laws protecting black Americans." Tavares's light- and shadow-infused paintings balance lifelike portrayals of Kennedy with renderings of dramatic events, notably a Japanese destroyer ramming Kennedy's PT boat during WWII and the planting of the American flag on the moon. An evenhanded, graphically stirring biography.-- PW”

"A brief but inspiring portrait..." --Kirkus Reviews
"Readers see JFK's competitive drive both in sports and in his defiance of Khrushchev; his intellectual side as a reader and author; his courage during World War II; and his dedication to service, as a "fill-in" for his dead brother Joe's political plans and as founder of the Peace Corps. Still, Rappaport refuses to turn this life into a hagiography, citing the disaster of the Cuban Missile Crisis and pointing out Kennedy's slow progress toward civil rights for African Americans." --The Horn Book
"This beautifully illustrated and gracefully told story serves as a superior introduction to our 35th president."--School Library Journal

Doreen Rappaport has written numerous award-winning books for children, including: Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book; and John's Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon, also illustrated by Bryan Collier. She lives and writes in upstate New York.

Matt Tavares is the illustrator several books, including Lady Liberty: A Biography, written by Doreen Rappaport. Matt lives in Ogunquit, Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters

John F. Kennedy was a popular, charismatic president, beloved by many. But he didn't always believe he had the strength or courage for that office. As a child he was sickly and also overshadowed by his strong, capable, athletic older brother Joe. After Joe Jr.'s death John had to work hard to live up to his own expectations and to those of his father. He overcame pain and self-doubt to see the country through one of the most difficult crises in its history.Doreen Rappaport once again combines real-life quotes with her own lyrical prose to create a moving portrait of a beloved figure. Matt Tavares' stunning artwork vividly depicts this unique time in history.

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