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"I'd rather win a Pulitzer Prize than be President of the United States," John F. Kennedy confided to author Margaret Coit shortly after his election to the Senate in 1953. Kennedy got his wish four years later, when his book Profiles in Courage was awarded the Pulitzer for biography--even though it wasn't among the finalists for the prize. Furthermore, the role of Ted Sorensen in drafting the main chapters in the book was never acknowledged by Kennedy's inner circle, and Kennedy himself was hyper-sensitive until his dying day about rumors that cast doubt on his ownership of Profiles in Courage. Still, Jack Kennedy the writer is part of the Kennedy narrative that helped propel his political career. And he did indeed work for a time as a journalist, and brought a measures of erudition, wit, and charm to his speeches. But if the rumors surrounding authorship of Profiles in Courage were proven to be true prior to his ascendance to the Presidency, there might have been no brief and shining moment in America called Camelot.
David R Stokes
David R. Stokes is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ghostwriter, broadcaster, and retired pastor. His latest book, JFK'S GHOST: Kennedy, Sorensen, and the Making of Profiles in Courage, was released by Lyons Press (Rowman & Littlefield) June 1, 2021. His earlier book, THE SHOOTING SALVATIONIST, appeared twice on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list in 2011. This story has been recently revised and republished with 30,000 words of new material. David has also written screenplays based on two of his novels, CAMELOT'S COUSIN and JAKE & CLARA, and they are currently being represented for production in Hollywood. Retired FBI Agent and Bestselling author, Bob Hamer, says, "David Stokes combines his meticulous research with a writing style which makes you feel as though you are that fly-on-the-wall witnessing history as it unfolds."David grew up in the Detroit, Michigan area and has been an ordained minister for more than 45 years. Now retired from pastoral ministry, he writes full-time. David has been married to his wife, Karen, since 1976, and they have been blessed with three daughters--all now grown and with wonderful children of their own. There are, in fact, seven grandchildren, a fact verified by hundreds--maybe thousands--of pictures, as well as an ever-growing collection of toys and gadgets joyously cluttering their home.His next book, THE HOPE NOT PLOT: A Novel of Churchill's Final Farewell will be published in fall, 2025. Visit David's website: DavidRStokes.com.
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