Carl Sferrazza Anthony

I must be fascinated with Jackie Kennedy as this is the third book I’ve read about her this year. And there are others I have my eye on, too.

I thought the first third of this book was a bit too journalistic, dry, and factual. But it became much more interesting and readable about 150 pages in. And maybe that’s because the first third covered information I had already read elsewhere that was presented more entertainingly and which I really enjoyed in two other books. "Jacqueline in Paris" show more by Ann Mah is historical fiction but based on the same research this author accessed. Then "One Special Summer" covered Jackie’s and her sister Lee’s three-month trip to Europe. I highly recommend both of these books.

But back to what I think of this newly published biography of Jackie, which covers her life from May 1949 through September 1953, when she is in her early twenties. The subtitle “Coming of Age” explains the emphasis of this well-researched book. There is much detail about her dysfunctional family and how she was treated by her parents (who divorced when Jackie was 10 years old). Lots of photos of family and important people in Jackie’s life, including JFK. But Jack Kennedy is only introduced in the last quarter or so of the book, during which it primarily focuses on the blossoming of the Kennedy/Bouvier relationship. There is relatively little politics mentioned, although their joint goal (even before they are married) appears to be Kennedy winning the presidency.

I wonder how difficult it was for the author to write objectively about this formative time in Jackie’s life, especially when she meets Jack Kennedy, because we all know what the future brings. And that makes this biography bittersweet, though nonetheless fascinating. And yes, it contains an index, a bibliography, and extensive notes.

I appreciated that the author presented Jackie as intelligent, complex, and deeply thoughtful while she was growing into an influential, independent woman and developing a strong sense of self. One new-to-me fact was that she appeared to enter into her marriage to JFK with her eyes open as far as his infidelity and health issues. Overall, this is a fascinating portrait of a little known and relatively short period in the life of an amazing person who is still considered an American icon. show less

I didn't expect to be so fascinated by a book about Florence Harding--but I was and I read the thing in under a week while reading two other books--and it's a big, comprehensive biog. Harding may have been our worst president ever; from my reading Hillary Clinton and Florence Harding could have been soul mates.

One journalist of the time had this to say about Florence: "She was a little too mechanically marcelled, too shinily rouged and lipsticked, too trimly tailored. . . . Harding and his show more men friends always addressed her as Duchess." Being first lady did not improve her. She was "insecure, jealous, incessantly chatting, and forever losing the battle to keep her unfaithful husband nearby." It was said that Florence kept a little red book for purposes of retaliation, with the names of those who had not been civil to her.

Anthony does a good job of putting the characters in the context of time and place. Reading this book makes me wish that today's journalists had a better grasp of history and could therefore make these interesting historical comparisons when writing about contemporary politicians. show less

Extremely interesting look at the life of one of history's much misunderstood first ladies. True, Ida McKinley was an invalid, but that wasn't her whole story. Carl Sferrazza Anthony does much to help us see a woman not clearly seen before. Ida was the first First Lady to have after dinner entertainment at the White House, was the first First Lady to host actors at the White House, and was also the first incumbent First Lady to travel internationally. What is also shown in the book is that show more she was accidentally drugged by her husband during much of her time in Washington.

A fascinating look at a fascinating lady. show less

As a Taft relation, this book became a "necessary" read for me. Fortunately, Nellie Taft was a lot more interesting than I understood her to be, and there's much more to her life than being the First Lady who brought the cherry trees to Washington.