Written by the grandson of an Irish immigrant couple and based on first‑ever access to P.J. Kennedy’s private papers, The First Kennedys is a story of sacrifice and survival, resistance and reinvention: an American story.

“Bridget Kennedy, JFK’s grandmother, achieved the American dream, but her story has been buried in patriarchal lore. No more. In this fascinating book, Neal Thompson gives Bridget her due—and in the process, makes us reconsider JFK’s origin story.” —Alexis Coe, historian and New York Times best-selling author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington 

“I thought everything had been written about the Kennedy family, but Neal Thompson has proven me wrong. He has entered into the early years of the Kennedys and brought forth a stunning, intimate tale of the American family that fascinates us beyond all others.” —Laurence Leamer, New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Women and The Kennedy Men

“Both a profound portrait of the immigrant experience and an intimate look at the origins of an American dynasty. Deeply researched, intricately layered, and written in sparkling prose, this is narrative history at its finest.” —Karen Abbott, New York Times best-selling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park and Sin in the Second City