Coffee @ The Kennedy Museum with B.J. Hollars

Book Talk with B.J. Hollars : Author of “Becoming Bobby Kennedy: The Transformative Life of an American Icon”. Join us for Coffee @ the Kennedy Museum as we welcome back author B.J. Hollars for a discussion of his latest book “Becoming Bobby Kennedy: The Transformative Life of an American Icon”. While the broad strokes of Robert F. Kennedy’s life are well known–from presidential campaign manager to attorney general, senator, and presidential candidate–far less is understood about the deeper forces that shaped his extraordinary transformation. How did an entitled, silver-spooned prep school kid become a champion for the poor and oppressed? Location: JFK Hyannis Museum – Scudder Family Center for Civic Engagement (second floor) Attendance: In-person or via Zoom Cost: Free to members and non-members Registration: RSVP requested. Please register below. About the Book What transforms privilege into purpose, ambition into empathy, and power into moral courage? Following his brother’s assassination, a grief-stricken Robert F. Kennedy embarked on a series of unexpected journeys far beyond the insulated world of wealth and Washington. He climbed Canada’s Mount Kennedy, traveled through apartheid-era South Africa, descended into Chilean coal mines, explored the Amazon, and witnessed crushing poverty in the Mississippi Delta, eastern Kentucky, and on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Together, these experiences transformed him from a silver-spooned rich kid into a champion for the poor and oppressed. Join B. J. Hollars for an intimate, character-driven look at Bobby Kennedy’s moral awakening—and discover why his vision of an America rooted in peace, empathy, and equality still resonates today. About the Author B.J. Hollars is the author of several books, including Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary That Launched a President and Changed The Course of History, which was the 2025 winner of the Midwest Book Awards (History/Regional). Hollars is the recipient of an Upper Midwest Emmy® award, the Truman Capote Prize for Literary Nonfiction, the Anne B. and James B. McMillan Prize, the Council of Wisconsin Writers’ Blei-Derleth Award, among others. He is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and a columnist for The Leader-Telegram.