Jackie's Girl

May 1, 2017
In her first book, McKeon recounts her years of working for Jacqueline Kennedy.In 1963, the author and her sister were brought from Ireland to New York City to find work as domestic servants. After a fairly miserable year with a difficult mistress, she learned about a position just available, working for "Madam." It was the luckiest break of her life. Upon arriving at the impressive Fifth Avenue apartment house, she was shown into a parlor. While waiting, a young boy, John, and his dog came in and showed her tricks, establishing a friendship that would last for years. Her easy interaction with John was enough to secure a position as a personal assistant. She cleaned, mended, and ironed Madam's clothes and, more importantly, filled in for the governess, Maud. McKeon's story is one of so many young Irish girls in service, but her employer's easy manner and kindness to her staff give the idea that there was little hardship. This certainly isn't a tell-all exposing personal secrets of the Kennedy family. Her travels with the family to Cape Cod, New Jersey, and elsewhere induced great loyalty, and Madam returned her employees' loyalty. Her kindness at family loss and generosity when the author married are the stuff of fairy tales. She was also very possessive, and many weekends and days off were cancelled because Madam needed her. When the author fell in love with a man in the building trades, he was invited to the Cape for the summer, helping on weekends as a handyman and joining in the touch football games. Even after she married, McKeon still worked for Mrs. Kennedy, just not as a live-in assistant. In a wonderfully readable narrative, she shares good and bad times with the family and their children, always faithfully protecting their privacy. McKeon's delightful memories have been tucked away for 50 years, and thankfully, she has brought them out to share the enchanting magic of Camelot with us all.

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May 15, 2017

When 19-year-old McKeon left her small rural village in Ireland to travel to the United States, she had no way of knowing she would soon be hired by one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. After a brief, disastrous tenure with a New York City socialite, McKeon went to work as the live-in personal assistant and occasional governess for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her two young children. In this charming memoir, McKeon weaves intimate, often humorous stories about the Kennedys with her own life in Ireland and America. Arriving just months after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, she stayed with the family for more than a decade, navigating scandals, paparazzi, births, weddings, and funerals. While being Jackie's girl had advantages, "Madam" could also be a demanding employer. Still, McKeon remained devoted to the family long after she left their service. VERDICT Recommended for general readers, especially those interested in the Kennedy administration and its "Camelot era."--Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2017
An impoverished and uneducated Irish lass finds herself in the lap of New York luxury working for the most glamorous, famous, and reclusive woman in the world. The year was 1964, and America was reeling from John F. Kennedy's assassination. His widow, Jackie, and their two children were trying to reinvent their lives in Manhattan, assisted by a large and capable domestic staff that now included a recent immigrant from Inniskeen, Ireland. Nineteen-year-old Kathy Smith had none of the fashion sense or worldly cachet to qualify her to be Jackie Kennedy's personal assistant, yet they seemed to understand and appreciate each other right from the start. Kathy evinced loyalty and affection for the former First Lady that surpassed mere duty and soared into the realm of true friendship. Decades later, she fondly recalls her role at the epicenter of the unfolding Kennedy family drama in great detail: Bobby Kennedy's assassination, Jackie's marriage to Aristotle Onassis, Caroline's strength and accomplishments, and John Jr.'s tragic death. Celebrity watchers who covet an insider's role will find McKeon's frank yet benevolent memoir to be both a sobering reality check and an engaging foray into the ever-fascinating world of the Kennedy dynasty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)