biography is personal

it’s a very personal thing, biography. take the question “why jackie?” i don’t know how to answer that without referring to the badly xeroxed women’s history handout from mrs. pavlick’s 6th grade english class. “why tabloids?” leads to a similarly intimate anecdote of my family’s mid-90s mania for antiquing. when everyone around you has a […]

jackie! the authorized biography

John Kennedy’s victory in the 1960 presidential election raised interest in his wife to a fevered pitch. But, Jackie was adamant that she would do things on her own terms. She detested the  prying and made a preemptive move to thwart conjecture about her private life. At her mother’s suggestion, Mrs. Kennedy appointed Mary Van Rensselaer Thayer— […]

biography = deprivation

(24 may 2011) biographers don’t eat. at their conferences the food is placed strategically just beyond the bar, which is surrounded by such a crush of people that one can never break through. in my many futile attempts to reach the mountains of canapés i could see on the other side of the room, i spent a significant […]

Finding Jackie: Notes and Bibliography

NOTES PROLOGUE x. “They said her independence and courage…” Bradford, pg. 23; Thayer, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, pg. 14. x. “the circus queen.” Thayer, pg. 36. x. “not to be a housewife.” Ibid., pg. 67. x. “Can you think…” Telegraph, 22 April 2011. x. “I’m an outsider…”Kelley, pg. 323. xi. “In the larger bear hug…” Time, […]

times to remember

that’s the title of rose kennedy’s 1974 memoir. at this point my biggest memory of times to remember is of the time i spent in the research room at the jfk library powering through the cassette tapes of rose kennedy’s recorded interviews with someone whose name i cannot remember. someone who may or may not […]