Summary

In the first dual biography of John and Caroline Kennedy, bestselling author C. David Heymann draws upon a voluminous archive of personal interviews to present a telling portrait of the famous first siblings, from their childhood and the dark aftermath of their father's assassination to their uneasy adolescence and the loving but at times trying relationship with their larger-than-life mother.

Author Biography

C. David Heymann is the internationally known author of such New York Times bestselling books as The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club; RFK: A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy; Poor Little Rich Girl: The Life and Legend of Barbara Hutton; and A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Three of his works have been made into award-winning NBC-TV miniseries. A three-time Pultizer Prize nominee, he lives and works in Manhattan

Author's Note	p. xi

The Fall of Icarus (1)	p. 3
The Fall of Icarus (2)	p. 32

"Good Morning, Mr. President"	p. 53
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue	p. 72
Camelot at Dusk	p. 103

New York, 1964-1968	p. 131
Rich as Croesus	p. 152
Rites of Passage	p. 176
A Greek Tragedy	p. 198

First Love	p. 209
Brown	p. 236
Maurice and Ed	p. 261
Winners and Losers	p. 274
Babies, Books, Boys, and New Girlfriends	p. 298

The Best and Worst of Times	p. 329
John and Daryl	p. 352
Death Be Not Proud	p. 381

Passing the Torch	p. 397
Love's Labour's Lost	p. 424
Wedding of the Decade	p. 453
Paradise Lost	p. 469

Keeper of the Flame	p. 499
Acknowledgments	p. 525
Chapter Notes	p. 531
Bibliography	p. 545
Index	p. 563
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Excerpts

Author's Note

After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, his widow, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, took it upon herself to raise their two children, John Jr. and Caroline, in as normal an atmosphere as their celebrity would allow. As a single parent, Jackie gave them her love and her time, and supported them in their daily activities and life decisions. Her strong commitment to her children and her fervent desire to keep them out of the glare of the spotlight -- not always successfully -- were nevertheless a testimonial to her diligence, a true sign of her devotion. The results of her efforts were (and are) clearly visible. Unlike so many of the other Kennedys of their generation, John and Caroline were centered and successful. For all their losses and travails, they managed to avoid the pitfalls and scandals that beset so many of their cousins. Their values reflected the better part of their heritage. They were humble, modest, and refined -- rare attributes in any individual regardless of background.

What makes John and Caroline's story unique is that from the moment of their births, they occupied a central position in what is generally regarded as the most famous family in the United States, if not the world. Even as young children growing up in the White House, their most subtle gestures and actions made headlines. As they grew older, their fame derived less from their accomplishments than from what each came to represent in historic terms. As the children of arguably the most famous American couple of the second half of the twentieth century, they were destined to live their lives in the public domain, the subject of countless magazine articles, television specials, and newspaper reports. Yet until now they have not been the subject of a dual biography. In that sense, this volume represents a first.

In good times and bad, John and his sister, Caroline, were unusually close, bound together not only by common heritage and circumstance but by a series of traumas and tragedies that ultimately altered the course of their lives. Yet what seems particularly unique about them is that despite their shared intimacy, the two were vastly different in personality and temperament. A wife and mother, Caroline has always been introverted and intensely private. She possesses her father's appearance but her mother's strength of will. She is as devoted to her own children as her mother was to hers. Like her mother, she is something of a mystery, difficult to read, hard to interpret. John looked more like his Bouvier mother but boasted his father's debonair charm, outgoing conviviality, and sense of humor. Caroline has always been reticent, whereas her brother shone in public. Had he lived, it is likely he would have followed in his father's footsteps and entered the political arena. Given the opportunity -- and with a bit of Irish luck -- he might well have gone all the way.

In several respects, this book is more about John than it is about Caroline. His life is complete. For better or worse, his tragic (and untimely) end allows us to examine him in a fuller, more definitive vein. Many of his friends and acquaintances were willing to speak on the record for the first time. Caroline's life continues to evolve. In this regard, she remains very much a work in progress. While generally cooperative, her friends and associates were less forthcoming and more protective. Approaching the age of fifty, she is still an open book, a volume with an ending yet to be written. What emerges is a portrait of two siblings, a brother and sister -- one perspective drawn in full color, the other limned in shades of black and white. This, then, is their story.

Excerpted from American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy by C. David Heymann
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