New book examines RFK's 1968 tour of Eastern Kentucky through the lens of the locals involved in the trip

When Robert F. Kennedy toured rural Eastern Kentucky in 1968, he said that the area had "marvelous potential" in spite of the obstacles locals faced. The liberal Democrat was welcomed to rural Kentucky back then, but these days the same region has become a Republican stronghold. That contrast intrigued journalist Matthew Algeo and informed how he approached his new book about the visit, Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder.

Though the trip has been examined in books, documentaries and other media, All This Marvelous Potential: Robert Kennedy's 1968 Tour of Appalachia (Chicago View Press) brings new details and a fresh angle to the story by telling readers more about the lives of the people who organized, participated in, and witness the visit, Marema reports.

"I tried to build the stories out around a few central characters, and then use them to touch on some central issues, I guess you would say, over the past 50 years," Algeo told Marema. "You can’t write a book about Eastern Kentucky without talking about mining, specifically strip mining, and without looking at the War on Poverty. I think people who read the book will find a lot of interesting information there that they might not have known or hadn’t really contextualized."

Algeo told Marema he didn't want the book to be a biography of RFK, nor a "Where Are They Now" update on the locals involved in the 1968 visit. "I don’t think that gives you a lot of information or context," Algeo said.