Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill

Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Historical, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Rating: Four Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In those four years, Hill was by Mrs. Kennedy’s side for some of the happiest moments as well as the darkest. He was there for the birth of John, Jr. on November 25, 1960, as well as for the birth and sudden death of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy on August 8, 1963. Three and a half months later, the unthinkable happened.

Forty-seven years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the one vivid image that never leaves Clint Hill’s mind is that of President Kennedy’s head lying on Mrs. Kennedy’s lap in the back seat of the limousine, his eyes fixed, blood splattered all over the back of the car, Mrs. Kennedy, and Hill as well. Sprawled on the trunk of the car as it sped away from Dealey Plaza, Hill clung to the sides of the car, his feet wedged in so his body was as high as possible.

Clint Hill jumped on the car too late to save the president, but all he knew after that first shot was that if more shots were coming, the bullets had to hit him instead of the First Lady.

Mrs. Kennedy’s strength, class, and dignity over those tragic four days in November 1963 held the country together.

This is the story, told for the first time, of the man who perhaps held her together.

He’s the kind of bodyguard we all need.

Clint Hill had a tough job. He protected the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. I can’t imagine how hard that was based solely on her popularity. People wanted to see her. How do you keep someone like that safe?

It requires full devotion, that’s for sure. I have to give Clint Hill credit, but also his wife deserves a lot of credit, too. He spent a lot of time away from his family while protecting the First Lady. He missed out on a lot. I get that he was devoted to them and did his job without question, but man…he went through a lot and it showed on each page. I felt his struggle to balance everything, his occasional frustration with being pulled in a lot of directions and the love he felt for this family. It was interesting to read his insights on how the daily lives were conducted and how he handled the stress. This story is from his perspective and should be read as such. He’s going to have a certain slant to the story that’s positive toward the family and that’s okay.

If you’re interested in reading about the Kennedy family from someone who was there and isn’t going to varnish his thoughts, then this might be the story for you.