Edward Klein
Author of The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years
About the Author
Edward Klein is a bestselling political figure author who has written about the Kennedys and Hillary Clinton. Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and former editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade; he has a weekly column in show more Parade called "Personality Parade" under the pseudonym "Walter Scott". Many of his books have been on The New York Times Bestseller list. He attended Colgate University, graduated from Columbia University, and received an MS degree from the Columbia University school of Journalism. His works include: Just Jackie: Her Private Years, 1999; All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy, 2003; The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President, 2005; and The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House, 2012. In 2014 his title, Blood Feud: The Clinton's vs. The Obamas also made The New York Times Best Seller List. Klein's 2015 title Unlikeable: The Problem with Hillary, has become a bestseller on several major lists. Edward Klein's 2016 title about Hilary Clinton, Guilty as Sin, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Edward Klein
Works by Edward Klein
The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years (2003) 430 copies, 4 reviews
The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President (2005) 324 copies, 6 reviews
Guilty as Sin: Uncovering New Evidence of Corruption and How Hillary Clinton and the Democrats Derailed the FBI Investigation (2016) 45 copies
A Estrada de São Carlos 1 copy
Klatwa Kennedych 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Scott, Walter
- Birthdate
- 1937
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Columbia University
Colgate University - Occupations
- journalist
editor in chief, New York Times magazine. - Organizations
- The New York Times
Newsweek
Parade - Short biography
- Edward J. Klein (born 1937) is an American author, tabloid writer and gossip columnist who is a former foreign editor of Newsweek, and former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine (1977–1987). He has written about the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Donald Trump.
Born in Yonkers, New York, Klein attended Colgate University, graduated from Columbia University School of General Studies, and received an MS degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and served as the editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine from 1977 to 1987. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade and writes a weekly celebrity gossip column in Parade called "Personality Parade" under the pseudonym "Walter Scott." (The Walter Scott pseudonym had originally been used by Lloyd Shearer, who wrote the column from 1958 to 1991.) He also writes books, many of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list. Additionally, he was the principal for the Business Communications School at The Euclid High School Complex. He was photographed by popular Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton, on June 12, 2014, which led to his personal website crashing due to a high volume of visitors. Klein is also a contributor for the New York Post.
Klein is the father of two grown children, Karen (former manager of The Four Seasons restaurant in New York City), and Alec (a professor at Northwestern University). He has been divorced twice. He was married to Dolores J. Barrett, senior vice president for Worldwide Public Relations at Polo Ralph Lauren, who died on 24 December 2013 in Manhattan. Klein is the stepfather-in-law of Ruth Shalit. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Yonkers, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
Review timing note: I'd meant to read this for quite some time and it came to the top of my TBR. It fell during the time of the election, but I didn't plan it that way.
This book covers the lead-up to Obama's second term through 2013ish. It reads fast - it's kind of a pageturner as these things go. It does have sort of a gossipy-insidery feel to it, but (IMO) that's delivering exactly what you want in a book like this. I feel like it peels back a little of the veneer from the Clintons and show more Obamas both and observes all four - and some of their advisors - through a more critical lens than we typically see from the media.
Who fares the worst depends on your starting point going in. I felt like I gained insight into the Obamas individually, as well as a couple well beyond their carefully and closely managed press appearances and coverage.
Though many of the sources don't speak on the record because of the closeness to the situations and people involved, this book had the ring of truth to me. Unlike, say, celebrity gossip where the anonymous person quoted is a person who went to the same high school as the celebrity before they were famous, but not at the same time and didn't really know them, this attributes specific quotes to specific people. Only someone in the room at the time and very inner circle could do that, which narrows down the potential sources considerably. Because I assume this book had to have been written in a way to be legally defensible against slander/libel, I presume much of it is, in fact, accurate - or accurate enough.
If you're interested in a less than picture-perfect perspective on the political machinations of the Obamas and Clintons, give it a try. I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I'm now interested and would love to read the backstory of the 2016 campaign if/when the story is told. show less
This book covers the lead-up to Obama's second term through 2013ish. It reads fast - it's kind of a pageturner as these things go. It does have sort of a gossipy-insidery feel to it, but (IMO) that's delivering exactly what you want in a book like this. I feel like it peels back a little of the veneer from the Clintons and show more Obamas both and observes all four - and some of their advisors - through a more critical lens than we typically see from the media.
Who fares the worst depends on your starting point going in. I felt like I gained insight into the Obamas individually, as well as a couple well beyond their carefully and closely managed press appearances and coverage.
Though many of the sources don't speak on the record because of the closeness to the situations and people involved, this book had the ring of truth to me. Unlike, say, celebrity gossip where the anonymous person quoted is a person who went to the same high school as the celebrity before they were famous, but not at the same time and didn't really know them, this attributes specific quotes to specific people. Only someone in the room at the time and very inner circle could do that, which narrows down the potential sources considerably. Because I assume this book had to have been written in a way to be legally defensible against slander/libel, I presume much of it is, in fact, accurate - or accurate enough.
If you're interested in a less than picture-perfect perspective on the political machinations of the Obamas and Clintons, give it a try. I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I'm now interested and would love to read the backstory of the 2016 campaign if/when the story is told. show less
The truth about Hillary : what she knew, when she knew it, and how far she'll go to become president by Edward Klein
I bought this book in a used bookstore for $2. Probably I should have waited for a 50%-off sale. It's a very nearly worthless book.
The truth about Hillary? Well, she's ambitious, deceptive, self-centered, arrogant, absolutely determined to get her way, and probably lesbian. So? What else is new? I'm an ardent Democrat, and except for that last sneaky innuendo (with admittedly no proof), I would agree with those characterizations. Of course, aren't virtually all politicians ambitious, show more self-centered, and determined to get their way (or to get themselves elected)? And let's be candid: aren't they all somewhat deceptive on one level or another? But, of course, they aren't all women; they aren't all feminists; and they aren't all Bill Clinton's wife.
Now don't get me wrong. What is presented as a statement of fact in this book is probably always actuallly a statement of fact. But most of the "facts" are of the he-said/she-said variety. "In an interview with this writer, so-and-so said such-and-such." OK, they siad it; that's a fact. But what they said is hearsay, opinion, bias, a personal memory (therefore subject to personal interpretation),even downright rumor. "All of the White House staff were talking about . . . ." The Truth about Hillary? A more appropriate title would be An Opponent's Opinions about Hillary and How He Came to Them.
Of course,the book is also now hopelessly dated. I still wouldn't vote for Hillary for President. I still think her husband was a second-rate President. But why did I waste my time reading this subtle diatribe? Maybe Kitty Kelley, now that she's through with Oprah, can be persuaded to do the Clintons. Now that should give us some good new juicy gossip. Just what we need. More gossip about the Clintons.
Can't I say anything good about this work? Well, it's a quick read. And it's a superlative example of what pundits these days mean by "research."
Maybe twenty-five cents worth of "fact." show less
The truth about Hillary? Well, she's ambitious, deceptive, self-centered, arrogant, absolutely determined to get her way, and probably lesbian. So? What else is new? I'm an ardent Democrat, and except for that last sneaky innuendo (with admittedly no proof), I would agree with those characterizations. Of course, aren't virtually all politicians ambitious, show more self-centered, and determined to get their way (or to get themselves elected)? And let's be candid: aren't they all somewhat deceptive on one level or another? But, of course, they aren't all women; they aren't all feminists; and they aren't all Bill Clinton's wife.
Now don't get me wrong. What is presented as a statement of fact in this book is probably always actuallly a statement of fact. But most of the "facts" are of the he-said/she-said variety. "In an interview with this writer, so-and-so said such-and-such." OK, they siad it; that's a fact. But what they said is hearsay, opinion, bias, a personal memory (therefore subject to personal interpretation),even downright rumor. "All of the White House staff were talking about . . . ." The Truth about Hillary? A more appropriate title would be An Opponent's Opinions about Hillary and How He Came to Them.
Of course,the book is also now hopelessly dated. I still wouldn't vote for Hillary for President. I still think her husband was a second-rate President. But why did I waste my time reading this subtle diatribe? Maybe Kitty Kelley, now that she's through with Oprah, can be persuaded to do the Clintons. Now that should give us some good new juicy gossip. Just what we need. More gossip about the Clintons.
Can't I say anything good about this work? Well, it's a quick read. And it's a superlative example of what pundits these days mean by "research."
Maybe twenty-five cents worth of "fact." show less
The truth about Hillary : what she knew, when she knew it, and how far she'll go to become president by Edward Klein
Choosing to make an informed choice about whom to elect as a Democratic candidate for President, I was quite dismayed to find that this book was nothing more than a collection of things most to hate about Hillary. Many of these I found offensive. I want to know who gave the author permission to publish personal health information (against HIPAA). I’d like to know what person wants his or her personal dirty laundry aired in a book and why the standard should be *higher* for a woman? This show more book is too full of speculation (such as what Hillary was thinking at particular moments) for me to think of it as anything other than a tirade against a person whom the author does not want to see in the White House leading our nation. I honestly fail to see the merit of a book that does not present anything positive about a person who does have some good ideas to help our nation. Did I read this entire book? Of course! To see to what depths of ridicule this author would go to keep Hillary out of the Presidential office. It’s a shame the author wasted his knack for writing to produce such a useless book.
Please refer to the following review by Media Matters. That about says it all.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200506230001
By the way, I kept wondering the reason for the woman-bashing in this book. The author seemed to have good credentials until I read on Wikipedia that he was twice divorced. Is that telling of something? I don't know. show less
Please refer to the following review by Media Matters. That about says it all.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200506230001
By the way, I kept wondering the reason for the woman-bashing in this book. The author seemed to have good credentials until I read on Wikipedia that he was twice divorced. Is that telling of something? I don't know. show less
This should be an easy book to rate. People on the right will love it as a factual expose', and people on the left, if any even bother to read it, will dismiss it.
In my case, this book just wasn't what I was looking for. I was really interested in an independent assessment and review of the Obama performance to date. By the title, it was clear that it would be critical of the Obama Presidency, and that was fine with me. There are many valid reasons one can find to be critical of this show more President, whether your political leanings are on the far left, the far right, or anywhere in between.
However, what I was NOT looking for, was the book equivalent of a TV Political campaign add. Everyone claims to be turned off by political campaign adds, which both major Political Parties rely on, and which deliberately take things out of context, distort records, misquote, and mislead to make the opponent as undesirable and unlikeable as possible. As the 2012 election draws near, people on both sides of the political spectrum will be inundated with more and more of these adds. But as annoyed as I and others may be by these political adds, campaign advisors know they're effective, and they will continue to be aired. And while I may be subconsciously influenced by one or more of them, I will never choose to watch the adds, and try to simply avoid them.
In the same light, in retrospect, I would have avoided this book if I had known more about it or the author. Just as I avoided Vincent Bugliosi's book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder", I would avoid taking time to read ANY book when the author has a known agenda. What I didn't realize when I picked up the book was that Edward Klein has just co-authored a novel titled "The Obama Identity: A Novel (Or Is It?)", which was a self-published compendium of Obama conspiracy theories. I also later found that book reviews from mainstream (now known as "liberal" news outlets) papers dismissed his books. The Boston Globe called him "an author devoid of credibility", the NY Times described him as "sleazy", the LA Times called his work "bio-porn", and the Tucson Citizen referred to it as "the literary equivalent of a backed-up septic tank".
Criticism like that may make the book all the more appealing to some, but I found it too much rhetoric, too many suspicious quotes or opinions, and too much like a campaign add released close to a Presidential election meant more to inflame than enlighten. show less
In my case, this book just wasn't what I was looking for. I was really interested in an independent assessment and review of the Obama performance to date. By the title, it was clear that it would be critical of the Obama Presidency, and that was fine with me. There are many valid reasons one can find to be critical of this show more President, whether your political leanings are on the far left, the far right, or anywhere in between.
However, what I was NOT looking for, was the book equivalent of a TV Political campaign add. Everyone claims to be turned off by political campaign adds, which both major Political Parties rely on, and which deliberately take things out of context, distort records, misquote, and mislead to make the opponent as undesirable and unlikeable as possible. As the 2012 election draws near, people on both sides of the political spectrum will be inundated with more and more of these adds. But as annoyed as I and others may be by these political adds, campaign advisors know they're effective, and they will continue to be aired. And while I may be subconsciously influenced by one or more of them, I will never choose to watch the adds, and try to simply avoid them.
In the same light, in retrospect, I would have avoided this book if I had known more about it or the author. Just as I avoided Vincent Bugliosi's book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder", I would avoid taking time to read ANY book when the author has a known agenda. What I didn't realize when I picked up the book was that Edward Klein has just co-authored a novel titled "The Obama Identity: A Novel (Or Is It?)", which was a self-published compendium of Obama conspiracy theories. I also later found that book reviews from mainstream (now known as "liberal" news outlets) papers dismissed his books. The Boston Globe called him "an author devoid of credibility", the NY Times described him as "sleazy", the LA Times called his work "bio-porn", and the Tucson Citizen referred to it as "the literary equivalent of a backed-up septic tank".
Criticism like that may make the book all the more appealing to some, but I found it too much rhetoric, too many suspicious quotes or opinions, and too much like a campaign add released close to a Presidential election meant more to inflame than enlighten. show less
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