Tuesday, August 30, 2011

America's Queen

I did it! I've finally finished the last book on my list. Of course I saved the longest nonfiction for the end--America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Sarah Bradford. 450 word-packed pages. A fan of all things of the Mad Men era, I was surprised to find that I really didn't like dear old Jackie O. At least in the biography, she came off as self-centered, frivolous, and profligate with money. She did seem to be a devoted mother, however. The Kennedys, frankly, came off as horrible people too. Everyone seemed to be sleeping with everyone! Jack with Jackie's sister Lee, Jackie--after Jack's death--with Bobby, Lee with Aristotle Onassis, and later, of course, Jackie with Aristotle.

I was interested in reading about Jackie because, in high school, a family friend used to tell me he knew what I would do when I grew up: the Jackie O. job. I knew this meant something in publishing, but it wasn't until I read this biography that I realized how accurate he was. Jackie was an editor and I work in sales and marketing, but she worked on a number of illustrated art books and museum catalogues, which is exactly what I work on. It was during her publishing career, in fact, that she seemed the most likable. She worked hard on her books and didn't put on airs in the office, making her own phone calls and getting her own coffee. It also seemed to be the period of her life when she was happiest. She was in her most stable relationship and seemed to love her work.

Now that I'm done with "the list," I've been whipping through some (relatively) current fiction--Little Bee, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Forgotten Garden--and look forward to wandering into a bookstore and picking up some random book that strikes my fancy.