Mrs. Kennedy and Me - An Intimate Memoir
by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin
Hostess: Amy
Attendees: Mary Margaret, Cheryl, Pat, Pam, Michelle, Janna, Myra
Book Club Rating: 3 stars
Clint Hill was Mrs. Kennedy's personal Secret Service agent who at first was disapointed and dismayed at his assignment guarding the First Lady. Boring! Art and Culture! He ended up developing a close relationship with her probably because of their closeness in age. He was there for her darkest moments as well as her happiest. It was surprising to us that this book got such good reviews and was on the best seller list for a long period of time. It had to be the subject matter because we all agreed that it wasn't the most well-written book. It read like a People Magazine; not that it wasn't enjoyable...
We found it interesting that Jackie was so against being in the public eye and fiercely guarded her privacy, given the fact that JFK was already a senator when they married. She must have known he might have entertained the idea of running for president... After having children, she became a tigress protecting them from the paparazzi. We agreed that when you become a celebrity it's a trade off; you can't expect to live your life in privacy. |
Oh those pearls! the gloves!
No denying Jackie brought class and glamour to the White House.
She was a hit in India and Pakistan, too. That's Clint in the center, and her sister Lee Radziwill on the left.
Jackie's gift horse Sardar
On this day in 1962, Pakistan’s governor, Ayub Khan, in a gesture of goodwill, gives first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy a horse named Sardar. Governor Khan and President Kennedy cultivated a close diplomatic relationship between their two countries. When the Pakistani governor first visited the White House, he and Jackie discovered a common interest in horses. In her memoirs, the first lady referred to Sardar as her “favorite treasure.” She nicknamed the jet gelding “Black Jack.” Jackie chose “Black Jack” to serve as the ceremonial rider-less horse during JFK’s funeral. The horse’s nervous capering once caused the procession to come to a halt while everyone waited for him to settle down.
CORRECTION: There are many newspaper reports that claim Sardar was the skittish riderless horse in JFK's funeral procession. (it must be true, it's on the internet.....) This turns out to be incorrect. The real Black Jack was a half-Morgan, half American Quarter ARMY horse. Sardar was a Thoroughbred.
Army Owns high-strung Black Jack . WASHINGTON - Black Jack, the skittish riderless horse in President Kennedy's funeral procession, is an Army horse. ...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/blackjack.htm
Black Jack died after a 29-year military career on February 6, 1976. He was cremated, with his remains laid to rest in a plot at Fort Myer, Virginia, on Summerall Field; his final resting place lies 200 feet (60 m) northeast of the flagpole in the southeast corner of the parade field. He is one of only two horses in United States history to be buried with Full Military Honors, the other being Comanche.[3]
We felt there was not enough character development or lack of insight into Clint Hill and his family, and how the demands and pressure of his job affected his family life. What family life? He spent all his holidays with the Kennedy clan, in Hyannis Port, Palm Beach, Middleburg, Camp David....
We also felt disappointed that the author did not include any stories about JFK's womanizing (i.e. Marilyn Monroe) while in the White House; as in who knew?...and how were the trysts orchestrated? The Secret Service had to know! It also surprised us a little at how little time Jackie actually spent in the White House itself. Overall, our group felt that the book did not provide that much more detail about things that we didn't already know. The author carried tremendous guilt after the assassination, and suffered depression. We had some questions about what happened when Mrs. Kennedy left the White House. One question we would have liked answered: Why was JFK so adamant that Clint keep Jackie away from Aristotle Onassis during one of her overseas jaunts?
Amy questioned whether Camp David has been updated/ modernized at all in recent years. Or perhaps stock photos are kept dated for security reasons....
How about we put this on our future field trip list :) https://whitehouse.gov1.info/camp-david/
After all the Jackie and JFK discussion, we felt like we wanted to know more details about her life after the assassination: what was the attraction to Aristotle Onassis? and what about her later companion, Maurice Tempelsman.
Then, approximately five years after Onassis' death in 1975, Jackie and Maurice moved in together in NYC.
Overall we gave this book a 3, which may have been generous,
but great discussion was generated!
Quote of the night: must remain anonymous....it was a doozy!
Next Month's Book: Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
