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There are a few true modern American icons in our history. Born Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Bouvier to a high-class family in New York, everyone knew Jackie was meant for greatness.
Not only was she the wife, and eventual widow, of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but she became a household name for many reasons. From her devotion to her family to her pristine fashion sense, her successful book editing to her strength in times of grief, everyone saw themselves in Jackie, and fell in love with her for it.
Her life didn’t stop when Kennedy passed on that fateful day, if anything, she became a symbol of strength. She took care of their children, and grandchildren, remarried her second husband Aristotle Onassis, and later her partner until her death Maurice Tempelsman. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
She ushered in a new era of sophistication and classy humor, notably her self-deprecating humor. Per LIFE, she once said she’s okay with any title but one. “The one thing I do not want to be called is ‘first lady,’” she said. “It sounds like a saddle horse.”
There are so many stories in Jackie’s life, and so many of them can be found in amazing books.
In honor of what would’ve been her 95th birthday, check out the best books on her life, loves, and fashion sense below.
A version of this article was originally published on Oct 2022.
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‘Jackie: Public, Private, Secret’ by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Image Credit: St. Martin's Press. You can check out the newest biography about Jackie O called Jackie: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli, which gives fans an even more intimate glimpse into how she felt during the biggest moments of her life.
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‘Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy’ by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Image Credit: Gallery Books. In the upcoming book Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, we get a rare glimpse into her life before becoming the First Lady. We see her favorite college trips, her life as a columnist, and how she fell in love with John F. Kennedy.
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“Jackie & Me” by Louis Bayard
Image Credit: Algonquin Books. Narrated by an older Lem, one of Jacqueline Bouvier’s friends, this novel takes us through early adulthood of Jackie and her blooming affair with Jack Kennedy.
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“Jacqueline in Paris: A Novel” by Ann Mah
Image Credit: Mariner Books. The newest hit book about Jackie Kennedy is Jacqueline in Paris: A Novel, a book about Jackie before the world knew her as such. This book takes us into her college year abroad in Paris, detailing the love, heartbreak, and growth that came with that year.
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“My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy” by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
Image Credit: Gallery Books. If you’re itching for a more intimate look into the former First Lady, look no further than this book. With forgotten photos, notes, gifts, and mementos, this book looks into the trips on which the author Clint Hill went on with Jacqueline Kennedy as her Secret Service agent.
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“Mrs. Kennedy and Me” by Clint Hill
Image Credit: Gallery Books. A staple for any Jackie Kennedy lover is Mrs. Kennedy and Me book by her former Secret Service agent Clint Hill. This follows their relationship leading up to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
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“Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story” by Barbara Leaming
Image Credit: St. Martin's Griffin. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story by Barbara Leaming is all about her lifelong struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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“Jackie Style” by Pamela Clarke Keogh and Valentino
Image Credit: It Books. Jackie Style isn’t exactly about her lives and loves, but her style that made Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis an iconic name in the fashion world. With rare photos and personal letters, this book is a staple for any Jackie lover.
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“Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy” Box Set by Jacqueline Kennedy, Michael Beschloss, and Caroline Kennedy
Image Credit: Hyperion. Get ready for this doozy: Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy is a box set full of the seven historic interviews about Jacqueline Kennedy’s life with John F. Kennedy. Along with that, it has a forward from their daughter Caroline Kennedy.
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“Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis” by Greg Lawrence
Image Credit: St. Martin's Griffin. Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis talks about the less-known part of her life: her two-decade-long career as s successful book editor.
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“Just Jackie: Her Private Years” by Edward Klein
Image Credit: Ballantine Books. Arguably one of the most popular books on Jackie Kennedy is the hit book Just Jackie: Her Private Years, which follows everything in her life, from her marriage to JFK, her friendships, and those elusive years in New York, to name a few.
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“And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis” by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Image Credit: Berkley. And They Called It Camelot follows Jackie’s love story with John F. Kennedy and how she became an American legend in her own right.
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“Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie” by Carly Simon
Image Credit: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. We’ve got stories from her family, Secret Service agents, and now her unlikely best friend Carly Simon. In Simons’s book Touched By the Sun, she talks about their touching and playful friendship, giving the world a side of Jackie not normally seen in the public eye.
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“Five Days in November” by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
Image Credit: Gallery Books. Both personal and grief-stricken, Clint Hill finally talks about the time the nation saw JFK get assassinated and what it was like inside the Kennedy family.
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