“What transforms privilege into purpose, ambition into empathy, and power into moral courage?” These are questions on Bobby Kennedy’s “moral awakening” that local author and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire professor BJ Hollars asks and answers in his latest book Becoming Bobby Kennedy: The Transformative Life of an American Icon.

Becoming Bobby Kennedy cover art, pictured. (Submitted photo)

Published with Potomac Books, Becoming Bobby Kennedy will be released on Nov. 1. Hollars will celebrate this new launch with a book talk at 6pm on Nov. 12 at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire).

Hollars first became interested in “Brooding Bobby” – attorney general, senator, presidential candidate, and brother of John F. Kennedy (JFK) – when he was working on his 2024 book Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary That Launched a President and Changed the Course of History (published with the Wisconsin Historical Society Press).

Once Hollars completed Wisconsin for Kennedy, he immediately pivoted and began to research and write about Bobby.

During Hollars’ two years of research, he not only read extensively, but also interviewed people who knew Bobby or who were associated with Bobby’s work – especially as it related to eliminating poverty and to furthering Civil Rights.

Hollars came to greatly admire the drive of Bobby Kennedy to “do the right thing, to stand up for the right thing.”

For the opportunity to write Becoming Bobby Kennedy, Hollars said he feels deeply grateful to receive the Theodore C. Sorensen Research Fellowship – hosted by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Mass.

This fellowship gave Hollars the opportunity to immerse himself in original transcripts and documents that helped shed light on Bobby’s contributions in communities across the United States.

Hollars reflected that, like Kennedy, anyone can “build a coalition and begin.” He firmly believes – and therefore inspires his readers to believe – that Bobby Kennedy’s “vision of an America rooted in peace, empathy, and equality still resonates today.”

While researching, Hollars learned that as a member of the charismatic Kennedy clan, Bobby struggled to find his own identity. Growing up, he took on a “runt of the litter” and “mother’s pet” sort of persona.

Later, when he entered politics and was thrust into the limelight, Bobby didn’t have that Kennedy charm; at first, he wasn’t a very good politician. Hollars writes that Bobby was “brash, arrogant, and sharp” and was known for having a “the ends justify the means” kind of approach.

Most interesting to Hollars were the imperfections of Bobby, “the personal side that was shy and flawed,” he said. More than that, Hollars lasers in on Bobby's interpersonal transformations as a result of key life events – most notably while campaigning for JFK – and his assassination.

Bobby’s local presence in the Chippewa Valley was one standout event Hollars noted, as he grew into himself as both a man and a politician.

In one local instance, Bobby was traveling to Eau Claire to campaign for JFK during the 1960 presidential primary when snow and ice stopped the train’s progress. Instead of waiting through the weather, Bobby trudged miles – on foot – through the snow to get to the event.

Sometimes, though, Bobby’s loyalty was not absolute. He became a politician who acquired the moral courage to call others out, even members of his own party, when he disagreed with their tactics.

As a professor of English at UW-Eau Claire; author and filmmaker; executive director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, Hollars – while accomplished himself – continues to seek inspiration from others around him.

Author BJ Hollars, pictured. (Photo by Steve Dayton)

It’s clear that in Becoming Bobby Kennedy, Hollars was inspired by what he learned from the “silver-spooned rich kid turned into a champion for the poor and oppressed.”

When asked what lessons he might pass on to his current students or readers, Hollars shared, “it’s easy to feel like the world is too large and complicated to make a difference, but change has to start somewhere.”

Hollars reflected that, like Kennedy, anyone can “build a coalition and begin.” He firmly believes – and therefore inspires his readers to believe – that Bobby Kennedy’s “vision of an America rooted in peace, empathy, and equality still resonates today.”

It’s not surprising that Bobby’s personal and professional journey greatly piqued Hollars' authorial interest, as Hollars seems to live by the message he often uses at the end of email correspondences: Be Inspired, Inspire Others.

Becoming Bobby Kennedy: The Transformative Life of an American Icon, written by BJ Hollars and published with Potomac Books, will be released on Nov. 1. Copies of the book ($30.00) will be available to purchase in person at The Local Store (205 N Dewey St., Eau Claire) on release day. Visit the Volume One events calendar to learn more about his Nov. 12 free to attend book launch at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire).