Rosemary

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter was an emotional read. It feels almost tame to say that actually, like a wintry day site snow up to your thighs is a bit cold. It's only in recent years that Rosemary Kennedy's existence has come more well-known and yet, if it were not for her life and the effect she had on those who loved her? We would be without such things as the Special Olympics, created by Rosemary's sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968.

Rosemary Kennedy's tale is one that haunts you even as you turn the pages of the book and the glamour you associate with the Kennedy name becomes increasingly tarnished and fake. In truth, the Kennedy family or certain members of the family are truly barbaric and narcissistic in their actions. You can try and lay blame at the time Rosemary was born and lived through where ignorance and stigma over those with mental illness and disabilities were hidden away in 'specialist' homes if they were lucky. From the moment of her birth, thanks to the rules laid in place, what should have been a wonderful moment for the Kennedy family at having their first daughter turns into disaster but it would be years before the truth of just how bad a decision made by a nurse would be for Rosemary.

With the glitz and glamour of the Kennedy name stripped away, you see a family who place too much focus on how one must be seen rather than caring for their child. They know that they are within the upper echelon of society and nothing can endanger that especially the beautiful and vibrant Rosemary who struggles with things that come easy to her siblings both older and younger. Kate Clifford Larson throws light on how controlling Rose Kennedy is on her children because she demands the perfect family and Rose was going to ensure she had it, no matter what. Whether it be controlling the weight of her children whether that be them being too slim, or too heavy in stature (and then attempting to do the same later in life with her grandchildren) with cold, cruel comments and methodical notes.

If Rosemary Kennedy had been born decades later, life for this young woman would have been drastically different but sadly, she was born during the last few months of World War One, and the medical profession was extremely ignorant over those who with intellectual disabilities and instead of specialist treatment and care plans that would have helped Rosemary, they were left with experimental treatments and homes that would do what they could without any real understanding of what was wrong with their charges.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter tells of her life from her traumatic birth to her passing, long after her siblings in a home where she was cared for and treated like a Princess. Throughout the book, I was left angry, emotional and often shaken by just how much she endured and yet, still often with a smile on her face. All Rosemary Kennedy wanted to do, was make her parents happy and proud of her, a sweet but also innocent indication of the heavy expectation that came with the name Kennedy. Everything was about how it looked and not how it actually was and whilst I can understand that their lives were under a microscope? The twisted machinations of Rose and Joseph Kennedy Sr made my blood boil.

I will warn you that when Kate Clifford Larson writes about the forced lobotomy of the 23-year-old Rosemary, you will need a box of tissues and moments to calm yourself. I, myself, was in tears because it simply should not have happened and the decision behind it made me want to scream in frustration. You will be left also desperately wanting to hug a young girl whose fragile life is turned to shadows as a result and Dr Walter Jackson Freeman and Dr James W Watts are barbaric and I wish that there were indeed Hell for those who commit evil as they did.

This is a book that will stay with me and has changed how I saw an iconic American dynasty forever. Being English, I didn't grow up learning about JFK and Bobby in school, I knew that Eunice had created the Specialist Olympics, but not why and I'm so glad I read this even if I felt so raw afterwards. Rose Marie 'Rosemary' Kennedy deserved so much more from her first breath to her last- if only she had even been born at a time where she could have blossomed.

One extra word of caution is to that of the repeated use of an outdated term for someone who is intellectually disabled. It's used in letters from Rose Kennedy especially when talking about Rosemary and is a slur today. I wish it was redacted but sadly isn't.