"Statesman and hero, opportunist and fraud. John F. Kennedy's contradictions have inspired such fascination that the public's interest in him has never dimmed. Now, Gretchen Rubin has written a new work that captures the crucial elements of Kennedy's story." "Rubin's "forty ways" approach highlights JFK's high ideals, trenchant wit, glamorous family, and unforgettable charisma; it also examines his astonishing sexual appetite, his lies to the public, his shrewd manipulation of the press, and his exploitation of imagery. By showing the many sides of JFK - ranked by the public, but not historians, as one of America's greatest presidents - Rubin invites readers to decide whether Kennedy was a great statesman or a shallow charmer; whether his success was due to his own merits or to his ruthless father; whether he could be both an unfaithful husband and a good man." "Most important, this biography seeks to solve the enduring puzzle about JFK: What made Kennedy Kennedy? What made him such a dazzling, unforgettable figure? How did he become a secular saint, a political movie star? Rubin illuminates Kennedy's provocative character and explains the source of his enduring magic as not even the most exhaustive JFK studies have managed to do."--Jacket.