Holy shmoly, if you want political gossip, is this the audio book for you!
In the months following JFK’s death, Jackie Kennedy sat down with Arthur Schlessinger Jr (and was it my imagination, or was the man no good with kids…I swear he yelled “Out!” at John-John at one point during the interviews) and dished on all the people she came in contact with during her marriage to JFK.
At one point, she even bashed Rose Kennedy, stating that Joseph Kennedy deserves all the credit for how curious and intelligent the kids all turned out to be, as Mrs. Kennedy was only interested in place-mats.
She goes on to talk about the Eisenhower’s (there was no love lost between her and Mamie) and the Johnson’s (evidently Lady Bird was quite the note-taker and Lyndon would never be half the president that Jack was) and the Nixon’s and Adlai Stevenson and all sorts of other people whose names I didn’t recognize. But one thing was clear. Jack was the bee’s knees. He was smart and well-read and charming and nice and all that was good and shining in the world.
Seriously. The man was practically a saint in her eyes. And no one would ever live up to his promise. She’s very clear about that.
She also talked a lot about life in the White House and and her project to restore it, as well as her trips abroad and the Cuban Missile Crisis and all sorts of other things. There’s quite a bit packed into the 8 hours of interviews.
And while she comes across as a bit of a ditz at times with that breathy voice and her “Oh, I don’t know, what do you think” responses and her “men are so much better at politics” stance, she also can’t quite hide her own intelligence. As the interviews continue she gets more comfortable and natural, while still maintaining that fierce allegiance to Jack and all that he stood for.
So while her opinions are incredibly biased, they are still awfully interesting to listen to. Just make sure you crank up the volume, since the audio is fairly sketchy in parts.
I wonder if she thought Jack was that wonderful when he was alive. I bet my mother would adore this book.
Sounds fascinating! Adding to my audible.com wish list.
I read a very lengthy book in college about the Kennedy’s and it was quite fascinating. It didn’t hold anything back either. While we all know Jack was a hound, I find it maybe a tad bit sweet that after he died, she stood by her man. I’m off the library website to see if they have this…it sounds like fun.
It was actually Jackie who yelled “Out!” I looked it up in the book (transcripts) because I had rewound the disc a few times to see if I had heard her correctly. She went from such soft tones to shouting and then back again! I’m sure she was stressed, though… reliving the best times of her life (according to her) that would never be again, in the wake of her husband’s death, with two children trying to get in the room. I’ll give her leeway on the Jekyll and Hyde thing.
Ooooh! I’ve been tempted. You’re tempting me more. I’ve always had a thing for JFK (even after I read that non-fic book as an undergrad about his failings). Sounds like ole Jackie and I would get along fine.
How fascinating!! You actually get to hear her talking? What a wonderful audio! Adding it to my list!
Nice review – thanks for sharing.
I heard about the book transcript of these recordings, but I didn’t realize they’d made the tapes themselves available as well. Nifty!
Oh, this sounds interesting! But also NOT interesting if her views are so completely biased and… rehearsed, perhaps? Like, did she REALLY think those things about JFK, or was she just saying it for the interview? I heard that Jackie was basically raised to be a diplomat’s wife and therefore never expected to marry for long-term love or anything like that and knew that she was unlikely to have a faithful husband, so it surprises me a little that she was so taken with him. But based on the circumstances of his death, I suppose it’s safer to do that? It must be so complex!
I think you need to put this into context – her husband had been killed months before in a gruesome and public way. Her grief was still right on the surface. Of course Jack was a saint, of course no one would ever live up to his standard.
i’ve always had a fascination with the Kennedy family, so I would love to listen to this one. On the list it goes.
I like that this one is a touch gossipy and that Jackie feigns being sort of Marilynish in these tapes, and I would love to listen to these! It sounds so fascinating, and though I probably wouldn’t know half of the people she talks about, I bet it would be interesting! Fantastic review today, Jill!
I wonder how she would have answered these questions decades after JFK’s death instead of months. Remember the context: American’s kept the secret life of their presidents mostly secret and women stood by their men. Not just a interesting look into Jackie and JFK but also a snapshot of the culture of the time.
Just realized that my comment implies I’ve read or listened to the book — I haven’t but would like to.
Americans — ARGHHHHHHH get rid of that apostrophe. Sigh. Not enough coffee this morning.
I’ll bet my aunt drove like hell to the bookstore to get this.
I had no interest in listening to this (or reading the transcript … doesn’t the package include audio & text?) … until your review. Interesting how Jackie’s demeanor changed (became stronger) as the interviews went on and she became more comfortable/relaxed.
Just checked this one out of the library. Very excited about it.