First published 2011
In 1964, while America grieved President Kennedy's assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy made a difficult choice. Despite her famous privacy and personal sorrow, she sat down with historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. to preserve her husband's legacy for future generations. Over eight and a half hours of recorded sessions, she shared unfiltered memories of life inside the Kennedy White House. Her interviews reveal JFK's private thoughts on his brothers Robert and Ted, his assessments of world leaders, and the personal moments behind historic decisions. The recordings remained sealed in the Kennedy Presidential Library until Caroline Kennedy chose to release them fifty years after her father's inauguration. These conversations capture both the political insights of a president's closest confidante and the sharp observations of a remarkable First Lady. Through Jackie's own words, readers encounter an intimate portrait of one of America's most scrutinized presidencies, told by the woman who witnessed it all from the closest possible vantage point.
Genres: 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-drama
Setting: Kennedy Presidential Library, White House
Period: 1964, 1960s
400 pages · Kindle Edition · Hyperion