Written Words Bookstore in Shelton to host author talk

SHELTON - Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter, Rosemary, attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. 

Yet Rosemary was intellectually disabled, a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family. 

In Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, author and historian Kate Clifford Larson uses newly uncovered sources to bring Rosemary Kennedy’s story to light. 

Young Rosemary comes alive as a sweet, lively girl adored by her siblings. But Larson also reveals the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly difficult in her early twenties, culminating in Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age 23 and the family’s complicity in keeping the secret. Only years later did the Kennedy siblings begin to understand what had happened to Rosemary, which inspired them to direct government attention and resources to the plight of the developmentally and mentally disabled, transforming the lives of millions. 

Larson will be at Written Words Bookstore, 415 Howe Ave. at 2 p.m. April 23 for an appearance and signing of her book, Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter (Mariner Books • 2015).

The event is free and open to the public. Books presented for signing must be purchased at the event from Written Words Bookstore. 

For more information, contact 203-944-0400.

This is a press release from Dorothy Sim-Broder, owner, Written Words Bookstore.