Jackie’s Girl: My Life With The Kennedy Family intimately recalls author Kathy McKeon’s many years of working for former First Lady and international trendsetter, Jacqueline Kennedy. A debut book and delightful memoir, Jackie’s Girl: My Life With The Kennedy Family recounts how McKeon first came to serve Kennedy as her personal assistant from 1964 to 1977.
A faithful companion and confident during the widow’s courtship and marriage to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, a then 19-year-old McKeon first emigrated from Ireland to New York City in 1963 along with her sister, in the hope that they would find work as domestic servants.
She soon began working at Kennedy’s luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment house, where she became known as ‘Jackie’s Girl’, thanks to Kennedy’s mother-in-law, Countess Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Rather than a tell-all expose, Jackie’s Girl: My Life With The Kennedy Family keeps the personal secrets of the Kennedy family just out of reach. McKeon is sure to remain obedient to Kennedy, and protects her privacy by staying true to the facts. A trusting protector, she dutifully supported Kennedy and her children, Caroline and John Jr, through various hardships, including the tragic assassination of their beloved uncle, American politician Robert Kennedy.
Jackie’s Girl: My Life With The Kennedy Family reads more like an captivating coming-of-age novel, taking the reader on the journey of a young woman struggling to find her footing in a foreign country and elite society. McKeon’s enchanting memories, until now, have been locked away for 50 years, and her memoir is subsequently a insightful and emotive personal story that boasts an intimate and readable narrative.
Words by: Annie Darling
