Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin

A great book! I wasn't able to put it down. I've always been captivated by Jackie Kennedy and have always thought she was the epitome of elegance and grace. Through the eyes of Clint Hill we get a wonderful glimpse of the few short years spent in the White House. Clint Hill was the Secret Service Agent assigned to to Mrs. Kennedy and he shows the deepest respect and fondness for her. Mr. Hill and all the agents assigned to the first family selflessly put their own personal lives and familes to the side to be on duty 24/7. In the beginning Mr. Hill would have much preferred to have been assigned to the President's detail, but soon settled into the challenges and rewards attached to guarding Mrs. Kennedy. The First Lady was always concerned about losing the semblance of privacy and her children not being able to lead normal lives and Mr. Hill did his best to see that it would happen.... he always prioritized Mrs. Kennedy's welfare.

Jackie Kennedy always stood out among everyone with the way she carried herself and the smile that lit up her face whe she entered a room. She orchestrated events that had never before been seen or done at the White House. She didn't realize the input she had, how much she was admired and how she single-handedly created bonds between the United States and stretegic countries far better than any diplomat could have done. That was amazing! She did it by being curious, sincere, and gracious .... no politics, no phoniness, just by being herself.

Also, a lot of history ... The situation regarding the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States and how the Cuban Missile Crises was resolved.

One of the most profound events to be disclosed was when the President called Clint Hill into the Oval Office. This took place before a planned trip that Mrs. Kennedy was taking to Greece. The President told Mr. Hill that under no circumstances was he to allow Mrs. Kennedy's path to cross with Aristotle Onassis. It was never revealed why.

Mrs. Kennedy was a beautiful and young wife and mother with the world at her feet and then the tragedy of the assasination. Clint Hill was at her side through it all, but always blamed himself that he was not able to stop that fatal bullet that wounded the President with his own body. He's been carrying that guilt around all of these years.

This book was a real joy to read with a lot of poignant moments. It was beautfully written with a real friendship, respect, and admiration for Mrs. Kennedy.

Hey there! Just a heads up, if you see a post about a book you are going to post about you can just post under the one that is already there, that way we won't end up with multiple posts all about the same book, instead, it will be just ONE thread about ONE book.