Excerpt

    Download a full excerpt

    Half a century ago, a charismatic young president challenged
    Americans to be good citizens. He spoke of the need for a new generation
    to take up the torch of progress and lift the nation to new heights
    of greatness—daring Americans to be better, to reject the status quo,
    and to shape a bright future. He envisioned a country and world of
    increased cooperation, of collective responsibility, where anything was
    achievable if people saw past their differences and worked together. It
    was a time of excitement and adventure and promise—a new frontier,
    he called it—a time for Americans to be bold and courageous.

    At the peak of it all, the voice that inspired so much was silenced,
    leaving the country and future generations wondering what might
    have been. Yet rather than lament the past, we have the opportunity
    to look closely at the man and his mission—specifically, the ideals of
    citizenship he promoted and his belief that there were new horizons
    for Americans to explore—and to consider how we can revitalize that
    same quest for greatness today. In a word, Camelot—the quixotic name we
    give to John F. Kennedy’s presidency and that unique time in
    our collective past—did not have to end in 1963. We can bring it back
    today.

    The familiar story goes that Kennedy’s bold rhetoric swept an entire
    generation of Americans into careers of public service and government,
    marking a historical turning point when the prestige of government
    itself increased and a more robust spirit of service permeated
    public discourse and action. It was a time when people seemed inclined
    to pursue careers serving the public interest—when civil service
    jobs were appealing and engagement in public affairs was deep.

    To be sure, informal historical accounts by nature tend to gloss over
    certain details, and perhaps our collective memory of the trumpet’s
    call to service during the 1960s is too rosy, overdone, and enhanced
    by the romance of Camelot. But the seeming contrast with modern
    times nonetheless begs reflection on contemporary understandings of
    individual responsibility in public affairs and the manner in which our
    civic discourse seems to have veered so far off course.

    To understand the mission, we must first look at the man.

    The Power of Citizenship

    Buy the Book

    Recent Tweets

    Reich calls on us to carry forward President Kennedy’s legacy and overcome the challenges of our own time by meeting the responsibilities of citizenship.

    Adam Frankel, Former speechwriter to President Barack Obama

    Contact the Publisher

    BenBella Books
    10300 N. Central Expy., Suite 530
    Dallas, TX 75231

    Website by Laura Yeffeth