what I learned from Jackie Kennedy.

I love history, but I have never been a huge, huge fan of the Kennedys. Interested for sure- who doesn't love a story full of drama, intrigue, scandal and an assassination? But, JFK just seems like a cliche kind of "favorite" and Jackie was always a bit too glamorous. Sounds weird, but being a very un-glamorous person myself, I tend to favor Abigal Adams' outspoken personality (John once called her "saucy"!) and even Teddy Roosevelt's 2nd wife (his first one died on the same day as his mom, Valentine's day, actually) who climbed a mountain in Europe on their honeymoon.

So, when the librarians at school set this aside for me to read I was a bit skeptical, but you need to check this out from the library yourself because it is awesome!! Jackie did a set of interviews in March 1964 which was about 4 months after JFK died. She recognized the value of preserving her husband's legacy, which is so appreciated by those of us in her future. But,since she wanted to preserve her privacy, she prevented them from being published...until now! The book comes with the actual interviews on cd, which I also was skeptical of a bit. I wasn't going to listen to them, but I am so glad I did. I love her voice! She has the neatest accent and her word choice is antiquated & glamorous, yet totally natural. You can actually hear John Jr walk in a few times, her lighting and smoking a cigarette & clinking ice cubes. It is so real. The actual interviews are what made this book blogworthy, so don't skip them! So, here is what I learned from the widow of our first Catholic president.

1. "Don't judge a book by it's cover."

For sure. I was totally not going to read/listen to this, but I did and I loved it. Now, I daresay, I have jumped on the "I love Jackie Kennedy Onassis with the big sunglasses " bandwagon.

2. Be who you are.

I have always been a bit annoyed at her for being so glamorous, fashionable and having effortless hair. For those of us who somehow forget to brush our hair, it's annoying to see someone always so "together." But, listening to her talk made me realize that was just who she was and she was good at it because she figured it out and went with it! From listening to her voice, I can tell she was just a calm, relaxed person. This sounds crazy, but I think we might have even been friends. This thought could just be a result of listening to her voice over the past week in my car. It is like she has become a part of the family. (sidenote: Anderson is NOT a fan of her. He makes me change it back to the "Aesson songs!")

3. I am so glad I live in 2011.

I am familiar with life in the 1950's and 60's from reading about it, but listening to someone who actually was living it talk about it is fascinating. It was even better because she didn't know what the future held. Her thoughts on "the papers" (the only form of media then), Vietnam (it was only 1964), Nixon (again, only 1964-he wasn't elected until 1968) and the women's movement were fascinating. Clearly her "job" was to keep her husband happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Brandon and always want him to be happy, but I love this time when my opinion matters.

4. Being a mom defines you, no matter who you are

When JFK was elected, Jackie was only 31 & Caroline was 3. John was born in December 1960, right before JFK was inaugurated in Jan 1961. I kept waiting for the parts of the interview about the toddler destroying the Oval Office, recapping a day when the president was frustrated because he had a bad day with the patch or where the kids were during the state dinners. But, then I realized that while there wasn't an entire section devoted to the kids, they were definitely woven throughout the story. How could they not be??

5. Don't bring work home with you

Jackie had a desk in their personal living space where she kept folders of things she needed to do until she realized it was getting in the way of her time with her husband. (Again, where were the kids? the dishes? the laundry?) She moved it back to her office and said it was much happier for them to just hang out. This one stuck with me because if the First Lady didn't bring essays home to grade, then who I am to do that? We clearly are different because there is no way I can completely escape working at home (the First Lady probably actually had a plan period), but I can try to leave most of it at school. I am taking this lesson with me in the future.

The point is that I highly recommend this book/cds! You have to listen to the cds, too.

And, while you are at it, check out this one, too.

It is FASCINATING! It's written like a thriller but is all true.