I will begin by saying that I am not a huge fan of biographies and memoirs, and I was not very excited when I found out that this was a book club selection. However, in spite of my reservations, I found this book to be incredibly entertaining.
This book provided a very intimate, first-hand perspective not only into the life of Jacqueline Kennedy, but of the all-encompassing, sacrificial life of a 1960s Secret Service agent as well. Clint Hill manages to describe his service in a way that is detailed and yet not overdone. The reader is left feeling like they were given a rare inside scoop into things normally unseen, but it also seems that there is quite a lot that Hill is keeping to himself. We are allowed behind the red velvet rope, but are never quite given access to what lies behind the curtain. Whether for reasons that are personal or protective, it is apparent that Mr. Hill has saved a few secrets for himself.
Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent who jumped onto the Presidential limousine in Dallas on the morning that JFK was assassinated. His description of that day and of the events that followed adds a sad but fascinating addition to his story.
In all, it was a book that I really enjoyed reading. It even made me want to look up another book, The Kennedy Detail (also co-authored by Lisa McCubbin) which is something of a flip-side story that chronicles the Secret Service agents who followed JFK.
This book provided a very intimate, first-hand perspective not only into the life of Jacqueline Kennedy, but of the all-encompassing, sacrificial life of a 1960s Secret Service agent as well. Clint Hill manages to describe his service in a way that is detailed and yet not overdone. The reader is left feeling like they were given a rare inside scoop into things normally unseen, but it also seems that there is quite a lot that Hill is keeping to himself. We are allowed behind the red velvet rope, but are never quite given access to what lies behind the curtain. Whether for reasons that are personal or protective, it is apparent that Mr. Hill has saved a few secrets for himself.
Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent who jumped onto the Presidential limousine in Dallas on the morning that JFK was assassinated. His description of that day and of the events that followed adds a sad but fascinating addition to his story.
In all, it was a book that I really enjoyed reading. It even made me want to look up another book, The Kennedy Detail (also co-authored by Lisa McCubbin) which is something of a flip-side story that chronicles the Secret Service agents who followed JFK.
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