Profiles in Courage

Profiles in Courage (1956) is John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of eight United States senators who defied party pressure, public opinion, and political self-interest to do what they believed was right. From John Quincy Adams to Robert A. Taft, Kennedy explores the nature of political courage and the lonely burden of principled leadership. Written while Kennedy was recovering from back surgery, it became one of the most influential books in American political history.