 Courtesy
of Beaverdale Books
Reviewed by Barb Palar
By Clint Hill
Gallery Books
04/03/12
$26
343 pp
She’s one of the last century’s most fascinating
characters. It would be hard to find a woman
who has had more written about her, more photographs
taken of her, and more speculation and judgment
about her life than Jacqueline Kennedy. Much
of what we read about her focuses on the scandalous
and the negative. Clint Hill’s memoir paints
a different picture. You may remember Hill as
one of the pivotal character in the moments
just after the assassination of JFK. He’s the
heroic Secret Service Agent who bounded onto
the back of the presidential limousine as it
began to speed away from the scene in Dallas.
Mr. Hill was assigned to Mrs. Kennedy shortly
after JFK’s election in 1960. He was unhappy
about the assignment at first; he saw it as
a demotion. But as he grew to know her, he came
to relish the position. His admiration and affection
for the first lady grew along with his respect
for the job and its place in history. She obviously
became quite fond of him, too, and looked to
him as a confidant and trusted advisor.
Hill recounts many ups and downs with the first
family including the birth of John F. Kennedy
Jr. as well as the birth and death of Patrick.
He traveled extensively with Jackie, to Paris,
Italy, India and Greece. He isn’t afraid to
poke fun at himself as he recalls playing tennis
with Mrs. Kennedy at the White House, wearing
a suit and falling into the water fully clothed
while trying to help the President unjam his
boat. Of course, the moments of that day in
1963 play out dramatically and painfully. Hill
blamed himself, and probably still does, for
not being able to protect the President.
Hill’s style is a bit clunky, but it’s an appropriate
tone coming from a stocky man of the ’50s with
humble midwestern roots. Something more polished
would probably seem disingenuous. “Mrs. Kennedy
and Me” is a new, intimate and fascinating glimpse
into a life that’s been over-examined by those
who would never know her as well. CV |
