1st out of 78 books
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36 voters
Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir
by
Clint Hill,
Lisa McCubbin (Goodreads Author)
HE CALLED HER MRS. KENNEDY. SHE CALLED HIM MR. HILL. For four years, from the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960 until after the election of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the glamorous and intensely private Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. During those four years, he went from being a reluctant guardian to a...more
Hardcover, 343 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Gallery Books
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This book is the memoir of Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy during the Kennedy administration. He’s never told about his experiences publicly until this book—and it was well worth the wait. This is a beautifully written book and a wonderful tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy.
It’s not surprising that Kennedy seemed to prefer Hill over the other agents assigned to her. His earnestness and kindness towards her is evident throughout the book. He was insistent on giving...more
It’s not surprising that Kennedy seemed to prefer Hill over the other agents assigned to her. His earnestness and kindness towards her is evident throughout the book. He was insistent on giving...more
Oh my goodness. I've been sobbing for about the last sixty or so pages. I don't even know what to say.
I didn't even mean to read this book at the moment. I had checked it out from the library and was taking a look at it for my husband and it captivated me right from the start. Now, I really want to read a proper biography about Jackie Kennedy, because she was one incredible, smart, classy lady. I wasn't even alive when the president was killed. But man, what a horrible thing, to have your husba...more
I didn't even mean to read this book at the moment. I had checked it out from the library and was taking a look at it for my husband and it captivated me right from the start. Now, I really want to read a proper biography about Jackie Kennedy, because she was one incredible, smart, classy lady. I wasn't even alive when the president was killed. But man, what a horrible thing, to have your husba...more
I saw the recent television interview with Mr. Hill. The interviewer pointed out that some would think he loved the First Lady. He certainly wrote of her in a loving way if you consider honesty, respect, admiration and appreciation to be equal components of his memory of Mrs. Kennedy. His job was to protect the president's wife. In his words, "I was responsible for protecting the things that were most important to him, personally-his wife and children." In order to do his job, he paid attention...more
My husband rarely buys books for me but he ordered this one upon recommendation of a customer. I'm glad he did. I read it through my position as a former federal government employee but mostly from the position of wife and mother.
Upon finishing it this evening, I was left with several questions which I answered with further research. Bottom line - I now understand why President Kennedy had so many affairs and I've no idea how Clint Hill was able to sustain any sort of personal family life. The...more
Upon finishing it this evening, I was left with several questions which I answered with further research. Bottom line - I now understand why President Kennedy had so many affairs and I've no idea how Clint Hill was able to sustain any sort of personal family life. The...more
Loved this book! I can't help but be sympathetic for Clint Hill, Jackie's personal secret service agent and author of book. He is without a doubt a very noble man, loyal and dedicated to his job and those he protects on any given day. But with that comes the sacrifice of his own personal life and family.
Although with Hill's detailed account on the day that Kennedy was assassinated, I still can not imagine his grief in the following days that lead into years. A moment of time that went beyond th...more
Although with Hill's detailed account on the day that Kennedy was assassinated, I still can not imagine his grief in the following days that lead into years. A moment of time that went beyond th...more
A friend gave this book to me, and I will admit I wasn't sure how interesting it would be. Being from a younger generation, I wasn't around when JFK was in office and all the world was in love with Jackie Kennedy. I mostly remembered her for the big sunglasses she wore. But after reading only a few pages of this book, I was hooked. It shows insights to the Secret Service world, a glimpse into life in the White House, and shines a light on the fun spirit of a young Mrs. Kennedy. I highly recommen...more
If you have every wondered what it is like to be a Secret Service employee, Clint Hill offers a very personal look into the life of those who guard our national leaders. While the life of the Kennedys is well documented in various biographies, Clint Hill offers a unique vantage point into the life of Jackie Kennedy. His was an assignment he didn't want, yet it became the most important assignment of his career. He shared quiet times with her as well as the spotlight as they travelled throughout...more
This was an fast read and an interesting story. It is written by Clint Hill, the Secret Service Agent assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy. I met a Secret Service Agent assigned to White House duty once and I was interested to read about the Secret Service job as well as Jacqueline Kennedy. It left me with a little insight, but with many more questions.
I couldn't help thinking about Mr. Hill's wife and children and how his family life must have suffered. I still wonder if his marriage survived his ye...more
I couldn't help thinking about Mr. Hill's wife and children and how his family life must have suffered. I still wonder if his marriage survived his ye...more
Long after I have read this book, it's sweet perfume still lingers in my mind. Former Secret Service Agent Clint Hill was assigned to protect Mrs. Kennedy before, during and after her time as the First Lady. Being a Secret Service Agent back in those days was not for the faint at heart. Clint Hill was one of the best and this book is about their love story.
Clint Hill loved Mrs. Kennedy and her children. All of the love, time and attention that a man pours on his own family was given freely to M...more
Clint Hill loved Mrs. Kennedy and her children. All of the love, time and attention that a man pours on his own family was given freely to M...more
Very engaging memoir, and certainly the reader's affection toward Clint Hill and Mrs. Kennedy grows over the course of reading the book. We of course know before hand that Mrs. Kennedy experienced many devastating losses and remained a graceful, stoic figure. I felt more for Mr. Hill's almost unmentioned family, though, who had to spend holidays, summers, and weeks without a father/husband at home, so that the First Lady could travel, take long vacations, shop, visit with friends, ride horses, s...more
I've always been fascinated by the Secret Service. They are, in some was, the ultimate fly on the wall, experience history from an awesome viewpoint. However, I had never read anything about the Secret Service until this book. I think this book was engaging and approachable. It was not filled with lists of protocol and procedure, but rather a great telling of what it was like to build a relationship with one of the most iconic women of all time.
A quick read, this book captured a moment in time...more
A quick read, this book captured a moment in time...more
The author was the secret service agent tasked with protecting Mrs. Kennedy during her husband's presidency, and in this book he describes the years he spent working with her. It's far from a tell-all, and there are no scandalous family details mentioned here; instead, he describes the day-to-day experiences working with the family, the friendly relationship that developed between him and the first family, and describes memorable events from his point of view - from his initial assignment to gua...more
Before a big trip, I like to read books about or from the country that I'm about to visit. I'm on my way to the US at the end of the year and had no idea what to read! How do you find books that represent such a vast country? So what better way to start my project than to read about one of the most talked-about American presidents, Pres. John F. Kennedy? Of course, this book isn't actually about Pres. Kennedy, but about his wife, Jacqueline.
Although it felt a little sentimental at times, I enjo...more
Although it felt a little sentimental at times, I enjo...more
If you're interested in the life of Jackie O, as I am, this book offers a different perspective from several others that have been written by "outsiders." Clint Hill was Mrs. Kennedy's secret service agent during JFK's presidency, and he recounts his experiences behind the scenes. There's no dirt here; he never comments on various rumors that have swirled about the Kennedys for years. For that reason, the book isn't quite as interesting because it never dives into deeper issues in the Kennedys'...more
This book....a memoir of Mrs. Kennedy's secret service agent, Clint Hill. I was wary at first. I've read a few books about JFK and Jackie before and they've always been gossipy, tell-alls. Refreshingly, this wasn't like that at all. Absolutely no mention, whatsoever of the President's girlfriends and dalliances, which was really nice. Though at first Mr. Hill was not at all pleased with his new assignment to protect the first lady rather than her husband, he came to love his job and the family h...more
Great read!!! It was nice to read a book that was not written with all the scum and trash sensationalism that is normally written about the Kennedys to sell books. This showed an entirely different side of the Kennedys (Jackie and Pres. Kennedy). It was well written, interesting and never lagged. Along with the personal lives of the Kennedys it showed how self-sacrificing our Secret Service agents are and what a toll it must take on their own families. I think the one thing that really stood out...more
I was one month old when President Kennedy was assassinated and so I carry no memories of that tragic time. Like many others, I've always been interested in the Kennedy legacy, and found this to be a deeply moving portrait of the era, and of Jacqueline Kennedy in particular. It is written through the respectful and deeply caring viewpoint of her personal Secret Service agent during her White House years, Clint Hill. In an era of "tell-all" autobiographies (yuck) it is such a relief to finally re...more
This is an in-depth look at Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy's fascinating life as first lady, remembered by her secret servant agent, Clint Hill. Jacqueline and Clint got along famously in their three years together because he understood her need for quiet and privacy for both her and her children. Clint accompanied Jackie to all the private residences she and the president had - seven in all, Hyannis Port, Palm Beach estate, and the Glen Ora residence, to name a few. Optimum surveillance equipment h...more
There is a sadness that permeates this book. For as hard as Clint Hill worked to protect The First Family (and he makes it clear from the outset that he would have preferred to be on JFK's detail, not Jackie's), the Secret Service failed at the moment that mattered most. The President was shot on their watch. There's no escaping that. Whether or not Clint Hill could have made a difference is debatable (I don't think he could have moved any faster), but the fact that JFK was murdered is not. And...more
Like many Americans, I have a mild interest in the Kennedy family. With the popularity of Mad Men and the renewed interest in the 1950's and 60's era, Mrs. Kennedy and Me is a well-timed release for summer reading.
Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent assigned to Mrs. Kennedy during her stay in the White House, gives his recollections and personal observations while in her service. It was fascinating to read about the actual logistics of the Secret Service at a time without cell phones and high...more
Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent assigned to Mrs. Kennedy during her stay in the White House, gives his recollections and personal observations while in her service. It was fascinating to read about the actual logistics of the Secret Service at a time without cell phones and high...more
I liked this book a lot. Clint Hill, Jacqueline Kennedy’s, primary Secret Service agent provides a personal account of his time with the First Lady and of the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. He actually saw the fatal bullet strike the President’s head from five feet away as he frantically ran after the car to protect its occupants. He knew instantly that the wound was fatal and relayed that information to agents in the following car as soon as he climbed aboard the stric...more
Like the Titanic, we all know how it ends, but we all begrudgingly bought - sometimes multiple times - tickets to see the story unfold on the big screen. And just like the Titanic, I balled my eyes out as the story unfolded on the pages in front of me -- perhaps even more so because I had grown so attached to the the elusive Kennedy family. The closest thing to American royalty, the Kennedys beautiful but tragic lives have been covering headlines for three quarters of a century.
Heck, I wasn't e...more
Heck, I wasn't e...more
I've been fascinated by anything and everything having to do with the Kennedy family since I watched JFK campaign when I was a child then when I watched him be inaugurated and of course all the coverage of the assassination and the aftermath. I've read a lot about the assassination from various "eye witness" accounts. However, this one is different. I think this captures not only the dedication of the Secret Service Agents on the Presidential Detail and those protecting the First Family, but it...more
This was OUR era. Our parents were Republicans, but there was NO question in those days--JFK was the president of ALL of us.
One of my very favorite days was Nov. 22, 1963--bear with me. I had gone with my dad to Cleveland to which he was commuting, and I was along to shop for my wedding to Brent. I was to buy the wedding rings, and a few articles of clothing. I learned that there was a new opening for me at the hospital(a minor surgery), due to the approaching Thanksgiving weekend. At about 1P...more
One of my very favorite days was Nov. 22, 1963--bear with me. I had gone with my dad to Cleveland to which he was commuting, and I was along to shop for my wedding to Brent. I was to buy the wedding rings, and a few articles of clothing. I learned that there was a new opening for me at the hospital(a minor surgery), due to the approaching Thanksgiving weekend. At about 1P...more
This was an engrossing read told from the point of view of Mrs. Kennedy's secret service agent, Clint Hill. The majority of the book chronicles the first few years he spent protecting Jackie and the interactions primarily with her, but also with JFK and their family. He describes how he and Mrs. Kennedy developed a close and trusting relationship and you can tell that he truly respected and admired her. The last few chapters describe the assassination of JFK in Dallas and the year after his dea...more
This is a fine memoir of the author's years as an agent on Jecqueline Kennedy's Secret Service protective detail. At first, Hill is disappointed with the assignment because he thinks that he'll be going to "tea parties and ladies' luncheons," but he soon learns that Mrs. Kennedy hardly fits the First Lady stereotype established by Mamie Eisenhower and Bess Truman, and he comes to love the Kennedy family and to respect and admire Mrs. Kennedy. He also has an interesting time during her world trav...more
Being fascinated by Jacqueline Kennedy for years, originally I didn't want to read this thinking that it was just another way for a former staffer to "make a buck" off of the Kennedy name. But then a friend told me that she had seen Clint Hill on the Today Show...and suddenly all my reluctance about reading
this book changed...and quickly! For me, Clint Hill has always been a demi-god or sort of like an icon. I've always wondered what his thoughts were. He is the one that jumped on the back of t...more
this book changed...and quickly! For me, Clint Hill has always been a demi-god or sort of like an icon. I've always wondered what his thoughts were. He is the one that jumped on the back of t...more
I devoured this book. I read The Kennedy Detail and was looking forward to Mr. Hill's account of his service during the Kennedy years. Mr. Hill was Jacqueline Kennedy's Secret Service agent. It was a very straightforward, first hand account. I loved the detail and Mr. Hill's honest account of the depression and guilt he experienced. Mr. Hill is the Secret Service agent seen in the Zapruder film scrambling onto the back of the presidential limo to get to JFK and the first lady. It will be hard no...more
May 11, 2013
Kmjahraus
added it
As an Irish Catholic schoolgirl of the 1950's and 60's lived the "Camelot" story. Secret Service agent Clint Hill's recollections of these all too short historical years with a legend of American history and culture - Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy - tells the story of the everyday life, the humanity of our American icon - to feel the person, the woman of JBK.
Felt author Clint Hill was in respectful awe of JBK, and impressed with JBK's elegance and class. There is a singularity of recollection that...more
Felt author Clint Hill was in respectful awe of JBK, and impressed with JBK's elegance and class. There is a singularity of recollection that...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No 'standing order' by JFK to stay off limo | 3 | 69 | Jun 15, 2013 07:30pm | |
| Literazzi: Mrs. Kennedy and Me | 8 | 9 | Jun 13, 2013 12:55am |
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“it's been a long time since i've thought about that night, that wonderful raucous night. I can still see the president s surprise and amusement while opening gifts. I can still hear the music, the guests singing along and the president having such a wonderful time surrounded by his closest family and friends. What a privilege it was to have been there, to witness the joy and laughter. But Always, when I remember that special birthday celebration on the Sequoia, I can't help but think it should not have been his last. At forty six it shouldn't have been his last”
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1 person liked it
“We had been through so much together, mrs. Kennedy and me. More than anyone can imagine. More than anyone can ever know.”
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1 person liked it
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Jan 06, 2013 06:12pm