Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Monday, December 13, 2010

Memoir Monday... Reading Jackie by William Kuhn

They say you can tell a lot about a person by the books she reads... How about the books she edits?! I have always admired Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for her grace and style. She was a private person, but for the last two decades of her life, she was very much part of the public- as a publisher and book editor! First as an editor for Viking and then for Doubleday, Jackie edited almost 100 books.

"Though Jackie had a reputation for avoiding publicity, she willingly courted controversy in her books. She was the first editor to commission a commercially successful book telling the story of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with his female slave. Her publication of Gelsey Kirkland's attack on dance icon George Balanchine caused another storm. Though Jackie rarely spoke of her personal life, many of her books ran parallel to, echoed, and emerged from her own experience. She was the editor behind bestsellers on the assassinations of Tsar Nicholas II and John Lennon, and in another book she paid tribute to the allure of Marilyn Monroe and Maria Callas. Her other projects take us into territory she knew well: journeys to Egypt and India, explorations of the mysteries of female beauty and media exploitation and of the creative minds of photographers, art historians, and the designers at Tiffany & Co."... William Kuhn

William Kuhn is a historian and a biographer, who researched and conducted interviews with Jackie's friends and colleagues "to reveal both the serious and the mischievous woman underneath the glamorous public image." There has been great buzz about this book, the reviews often mentioning the fact that it is a respectful look at "the working girl" Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as opposed to sensationalizing her story. This book is on my wish list! I can't wait to read it! And this would make a great Christmas gift for the biography reader on your list! *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

5 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Oooh, I need to get this book for my mother. She always loved Jackie!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi bermudaonion!
I always loved Jackie too! I remember seeing her get out of a cab one day in NYC while I was on a school bus and it just making my day! :-)

carla said...

Sounds like a good book to check out!

Esme said...

I love everything about Jackie Kennedy. I need to get this book.

William said...

Thanks to all of you for posting about my book. I must say I grew to admire her even more as I wrote the book. Bill Kuhn

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