There has been little written specifically for children about President Kennedy – but Shelley Sommer, the author of John F. Kennedy: His Life and Legacy, (HarperCollins) is one of the most qualified people to write about this subject. Sommer worked at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for 15 years, and her service to the Library not only made her an expert on JFK but also earned her the respect and trust of the Kennedy family.
On March 7, Caroline Kennedy, who has written a fascinating and stirring introduction to Sommer’s new biography, welcomed Shelley Sommer back to the Kennedy Library where they met with 150 school children to answer questions ranging from writing and history, to growing up in the White House.
Sommer, who is currently studying for her Master’s degree in children’s literature at Simmons College, first proposed the writing project to Caroline Kennedy after discovering that there has been little written specifically for children about President Kennedy. She has generously designated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
John F. Kennedy: His Life and Legacy is illuminated by many historical sources. Anecdotes from Senator Edward Kennedy and White House staff are presented alongside remarkable photos from the Kennedy family collection – many of which have never before been published. Avoiding dry historical narrative, all of the information in this biography is presented in a child-friendly way. Copies of this book can be purchased through the Kennedy Presidential Library’s Museum store.
The book also presents the foreign and domestic politics of the Presidential years as well as other fascinating areas of JFK’s life, including his childhood relationship with his siblings, his sickly health as an adolescent and life for the first family in the White House.
Sommer’s book has been well-received. One review noted, “This is a well-written, child-focused account of the life and times of John F. Kennedy…What this book does achieve is to provide what those truly interested in history hope for - an engaging tale of a real man (whom we follow from boyhood, youth to adult), with lots of interesting and relevant information for today's younger ones who so long for real life heroes, warts and all (as distinct from fictional creations) by which to measure themselves and their developing ideals and from whom to learn lessons (good and bad) from real life.”
Sommer worked for the Kennedy Library Foundation for fifteen years, first as the director of public relations and then as the director of the Profile in Courage Award. In addition to her graduate work at the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, Ms. Sommers works at the Inly School in Scituate where she manages the library and chooses books for a literature group of 6th graders. She lives with her husband and son on the South Shore of Massachusetts. This is her first book.