Grace and Power

I love how Smith tells the intimate story of Jack and Jackie’s relationship in the White House. Plenty of accounts describe how JFK exercised power during his brief tenure as president. That is not what interests Smith. She highlights how the pressure of the office impacted the relationship between the First Lady and the President.

There are plenty of juicy tales about JFK’s womanizing and his abuse of prescription medication. What I found most fascinating was how Jackie coped with it all. The Kennedys in Smith’s account are complicated and complex, talented and flawed, but above all else, very human. 

Written by a bestselling biographer of British royals and statesmen, this story of John and Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House years is a sparkling account of their life at the pinnacle of power before tragedy ended the American fairy tale. Its rich detail and compelling narrative make it a genuine page-turner.

My mother took me to see Senator John F. Kennedy campaigning in our hometown of Louisville, KY, in October 1960, just before his selection as America’s youngest elected and first Catholic president. Although only 4 years of age, I was hooked on the excitement of presidents, the White House, and… show more.