About this item
An endearing coming-of-age memoir by a young woman who spent thirteen years as Jackie Kennedy's personal assistant and occasional nanny - and the lessons about life and love she learned from the glamorous first lady.In 1964, Kathy McKeon was just nineteen years old and newly arrived from Ireland when she was hired as the personal assistant to former first lady Jackie Kennedy. The next thirteen years of her life were spent in Jackie's service, during which Kathy not only played a crucial role in raising young Caroline and John Jr., but also had a front-row seat to some of the twentieth century's most significant events. Because Kathy was always at Jackie's side, Rose Kennedy deemed her "Jackie's girl." And although Kathy called Jackie "Madam," she considered her employer more like a big sister who, in many ways, mentored her on how to be a lady. Kathy was there during Jackie and Aristotle Onassis's courtship and marriage and Robert Kennedy's assassination, dutifully supporting Jackie and the children during these tumultuous times in history. A rare and engrossing look at the private life of one of the most famous women of the twentieth century, Jackie's Girl is also a moving personal story of a young woman finding her identity and footing in a new country, along with the help of the most elegant woman in America.
About the Author
Kathy McKeon was a 19-year-old Irish immigrant newly arrived in New York City when Jacqueline Kennedy hired her as a personal assistant in 1964, nine months after JFK's assassination. McKeon soon became a trusted employee, helping to raise young Caroline and John and witnessing life from inside the fabled apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue. For over five decades, McKeon never spoke publicly of her experience. But now she has written a memoir, Jackie's Girl, My Life with the Kennedy Family
