McConnell Center Fellow writes book on political matriarch Rose Kennedy

Barbara A. Perry, a political science professor at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, is the author of 'Rose Kennedy: The Life and Times of a Political Matriarch.'

Using newly released diaries and letters, Perry explores how Rose Kennedy's legend matches with reality. Perry details how Kennedy nurtured an image of family perfectionism that resonated with voters that Jack, Bobby and Teddy Kennedy could not reach. Perry moves beyond other biographers' work by detailing how Rose dealt with personal tragedies through compulsive shopping, travel and self-medication.

The book, to be released by W.W. Norton & Company on July 15, 2013, is available for pre-order through Amazon.

Perry is a non-resident fellow of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville.