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American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy
A dual portrait of JFK, Jr. and Caroline Kennedy by a Pulitzer-Prize nominated biographer challenges popular beliefs and draws on a wide array of personal interviews to discuss such topics as the assassination attempt on Jackie Kennedy while she was giving birth, Caroline's reclusive lifestyle, and the unsettling results of the couple's autopsies. 75,000 first printing.
608 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
27 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
C. David Heymann
31 books29 followersC. David Heymann is the internationally known author of such New York Times bestselling books as The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club; RFK: A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy; Poor Little Rich Girl: The Life and Legend of Barbara Hutton; and A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Three of his works have been made into award-winning NBC-TV miniseries. A three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, he lives and works in Manhattan.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 8, 2016
What can I say..... Those who know me know my obsession with the Kennedy's. So, this book was always going to appeal to me.
An added bonus was that it is well written, well researched & well supported by various friends & acquaintances of the Kennedy family. These friends are directly interviewed & quoted adding a sense of accuracy, rather than speculation, to this biography.
Since I have devoured so much literature pertaining to the Kennedy's over the years I was delighted to actually discover new snippets of information regarding the family, and particularly enjoyed learning more about both Caroline & John's College years.
I thoroughly enjoyed this very big book! Obviously it will only appeal to a specific audience, and, for what it's worth, it comes with my recommendation.
An added bonus was that it is well written, well researched & well supported by various friends & acquaintances of the Kennedy family. These friends are directly interviewed & quoted adding a sense of accuracy, rather than speculation, to this biography.
Since I have devoured so much literature pertaining to the Kennedy's over the years I was delighted to actually discover new snippets of information regarding the family, and particularly enjoyed learning more about both Caroline & John's College years.
I thoroughly enjoyed this very big book! Obviously it will only appeal to a specific audience, and, for what it's worth, it comes with my recommendation.
June 17, 2012
It begins with the 1999 plane crash that kills three people, devastating numerous families, friends, and the country: The fallen prince, John F. Kennedy, Jr., who left behind the promise of a future now cut short, and a sister, Caroline, who at forty-one, would become the keeper of the flame. He had once spoken to his sister about the subject of death, and how it seemed a common denominator for their family:
"We aren't exactly cursed," (he had said of the Kennedys), "but we're pretty damn close to it. Yes, we've had our share of luck. We've been to the mountaintop. But there have been entirely too many tragedies, mostly of our own making."
At this lowest point in a life, the author begins American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, and takes the reader back to the early moments, with how life started for this little family with a handsome congressman, a beautiful twenty-four-year-old Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, and "the wedding of the decade," on September 12, 1953. We follow this golden couple as their life unfolds in glamour, promise, and that eventually leads to the White House, with all of the ups and downs of this very public life that would become theirs.
Based upon a voluminous archive of personal interviews, we see a telling portrait of the Kennedy legacy and of the legacy left behind for John and Caroline, because of and in spite of their personal tragedies.
Not only do we see their growing up years after the assassination and how difficult that was for them, but of the Onassis years, followed by finally settling down again in New York, where they grew to adulthood. How Jackie protected them as much as possible, but then, finally, after she was gone, how they had to stand on their own.
Caroline and John showed distinct differences. "Despite her sporadic flirtation with the media, primarily when publicizing a book or appearing on behalf of a Kennedy-related project, Caroline remained essentially a private citizen. If John Kennedy Jr. was a one-man publicity magnet, if he good-naturedly parried with the press and accepted the lunatic excesses of public adulation and even, at times, enjoyed the attention, his sister preferred a quieter (and saner) existence. If anything, the death of her brother made her quest for privacy tougher. As the sole survivor of the Camelot mystique, she became the focus of a nation consumed with the passing of the torch."
Even though I've read a number of books about the Kennedys, this tome filled in some missing pieces and fully drew the portrait of a generation of Kennedys that will live on in our collective consciousness, as a nation, and as individuals who once dreamed of a world like the one portrayed in Camelot. At 520+ pages, this book brought out much more than I expected. However, I would not recommend it for those who like a more direct telling of a story, since this one weaves back and forth, and brings in numerous seemingly extraneous details; this book earned four stars.
"We aren't exactly cursed," (he had said of the Kennedys), "but we're pretty damn close to it. Yes, we've had our share of luck. We've been to the mountaintop. But there have been entirely too many tragedies, mostly of our own making."
At this lowest point in a life, the author begins American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, and takes the reader back to the early moments, with how life started for this little family with a handsome congressman, a beautiful twenty-four-year-old Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, and "the wedding of the decade," on September 12, 1953. We follow this golden couple as their life unfolds in glamour, promise, and that eventually leads to the White House, with all of the ups and downs of this very public life that would become theirs.
Based upon a voluminous archive of personal interviews, we see a telling portrait of the Kennedy legacy and of the legacy left behind for John and Caroline, because of and in spite of their personal tragedies.
Not only do we see their growing up years after the assassination and how difficult that was for them, but of the Onassis years, followed by finally settling down again in New York, where they grew to adulthood. How Jackie protected them as much as possible, but then, finally, after she was gone, how they had to stand on their own.
Caroline and John showed distinct differences. "Despite her sporadic flirtation with the media, primarily when publicizing a book or appearing on behalf of a Kennedy-related project, Caroline remained essentially a private citizen. If John Kennedy Jr. was a one-man publicity magnet, if he good-naturedly parried with the press and accepted the lunatic excesses of public adulation and even, at times, enjoyed the attention, his sister preferred a quieter (and saner) existence. If anything, the death of her brother made her quest for privacy tougher. As the sole survivor of the Camelot mystique, she became the focus of a nation consumed with the passing of the torch."
Even though I've read a number of books about the Kennedys, this tome filled in some missing pieces and fully drew the portrait of a generation of Kennedys that will live on in our collective consciousness, as a nation, and as individuals who once dreamed of a world like the one portrayed in Camelot. At 520+ pages, this book brought out much more than I expected. However, I would not recommend it for those who like a more direct telling of a story, since this one weaves back and forth, and brings in numerous seemingly extraneous details; this book earned four stars.
July 18, 2014
From books I've read about the Kennedy children, I get the impression that the publicity and fans are just about unbearable, especially to someone who likes their privacy. I think it would be a curse in fact.
How JFK, Jr. loved it and lived with it, is beyond me.
This book is pretty long and I can't say that so far I've learned anything new about them as I've sort of followed them in the newspapers and magazines most of my life since they are my age, more or less.
It's sort of scary and sad how some people have no lives and basically stalk them and haunt them.....that's what I found disturbing mainly.
But at the end, Caroline, the least likely psychologically suited to carry the torch, is, in her own way, carrying the Camelot torch for better or worse.
How JFK, Jr. loved it and lived with it, is beyond me.
This book is pretty long and I can't say that so far I've learned anything new about them as I've sort of followed them in the newspapers and magazines most of my life since they are my age, more or less.
It's sort of scary and sad how some people have no lives and basically stalk them and haunt them.....that's what I found disturbing mainly.
But at the end, Caroline, the least likely psychologically suited to carry the torch, is, in her own way, carrying the Camelot torch for better or worse.
December 16, 2017
An extremely thorough, to the point of numbingly needless documentation of every snarky comment anyone has ever uttered or thought about JFK, Jr. and Caroline and the rest of the famous family. While the author does share positive remembrances from friends and acquaintances, it just seemed to me he took great pains to point out even the most petty of criticisms, complaints and gossip. So as I read the book I was both miffed at the constant pot shots and fascinated with the fly on the wall perspective of what he had discovered in the course of his research. I think the latter reflects more poorly on me because I just kept on reading despite having the feeling of invading the family's privacy. Be careful what you share in private and confidence with your priest and psychiatrist. You might become famous and some writer will somehow get them to betray your secrets and privacy and publish them for all the world to read. Rest in peace, John. Caroline you still have my respect.
October 23, 2025
Admittedly I skimmed through the majority of this for 2 reasons.
Reason #1 - I’ve read a lot of books on the Kennedy family so a lot of what was featured in here wasn’t new information to me.
Reason #2 - Having already read books on JFK Jr I was more interested in learning about Caroline however even though it’s stated in the introduction this book HEAVILY focuses on John to the point where I’m left wondering why even include Caroline when it seems like the author was more invested in John’s life.
With that said I think this would be a better fit for someone who isn’t as familiar, but interested in learning more about John and Caroline’s lives as it is well researched and written it just wasn’t a fit for me.
Reason #1 - I’ve read a lot of books on the Kennedy family so a lot of what was featured in here wasn’t new information to me.
Reason #2 - Having already read books on JFK Jr I was more interested in learning about Caroline however even though it’s stated in the introduction this book HEAVILY focuses on John to the point where I’m left wondering why even include Caroline when it seems like the author was more invested in John’s life.
With that said I think this would be a better fit for someone who isn’t as familiar, but interested in learning more about John and Caroline’s lives as it is well researched and written it just wasn’t a fit for me.
August 23, 2018
The book was very easy to read and kept my attention; however, it seemed to repeat things. I felt the author spent way more time on John Jr. then he did with Caroline. I didn’t really need to know so much about John’s sex life. These children had a difficult life and it’s amazing how well their mother raised them. She struggled as well but dedicated her life to her children!
February 17, 2024
Autobiographies simply need to be written in chronological order to avoid chaos.
This biography (similar to the chaos in Joan Schenkar's Patricia Highsmith biography) lacks from a chronological text structure. It starts with the tragic ending of John Kennedy jr, admits that it won't have much information on Caroline and then continues with John jr.
After 100 pages I gave up.
This biography (similar to the chaos in Joan Schenkar's Patricia Highsmith biography) lacks from a chronological text structure. It starts with the tragic ending of John Kennedy jr, admits that it won't have much information on Caroline and then continues with John jr.
After 100 pages I gave up.
June 11, 2025
Heymann's book was a disappointment. It turned out to be as much tabloid as biography. That, I'm guessing, had to do with the two subjects of the book, but I expected more from someone of Heymann's reputation. The book's 530 pages could have been trimmed a fair amount if he had avoided much of the gossip. If I wanted that I'd read the Globe. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.
July 27, 2021
Nothing eye opening or jaw dropping but an interesting and thorough biography
September 22, 2021
Highly recommended! I was looking forward to reading this and was not disappointed.
December 15, 2022
really informative. heymann generally went through their adolescence, teens, and early twenties. the constant digs at ed schlossberg made me lol.
August 11, 2008
An especially juicy, uncommonly unbiased, exhaustive and imminently readable look at the lives of, arguably, the two most famous spawn in America, John FK, Jr. and Caroline Kennedy.
I couldn't put this one down. Many additional tidbits on the death of JFK jr., i.e. the autopsy that was not widely reported, the why's of Jackie's marriage to Ari Onassis, and a look at the marrige of Caroline to Ed Schlossberg (likely a fairly happy coupling).
Unlike many books I've read on the Kennedys, this one often gives a mix of opinions on a given person or incident, thus leaving at least me with the impression that the author is really just trying to get to the truth rather than sensationalize it or sway the reader one way or the other.
I couldn't put this one down. Many additional tidbits on the death of JFK jr., i.e. the autopsy that was not widely reported, the why's of Jackie's marriage to Ari Onassis, and a look at the marrige of Caroline to Ed Schlossberg (likely a fairly happy coupling).
Unlike many books I've read on the Kennedys, this one often gives a mix of opinions on a given person or incident, thus leaving at least me with the impression that the author is really just trying to get to the truth rather than sensationalize it or sway the reader one way or the other.
February 18, 2017
Very detailed, unbiased account of the Jack & Jackie Kennedy household focusing on Caroline's and JFK Jr.'s lives from birth through adulthood. There were tons of sources used which I think displayed the great amount of research that went into this well-written book. For me, because there was SO much detail, I got bored at times, especially with the parts about Caroline's adult life. Overall, not knowing much about the Kennedy clan outside of what I've seen in the media, this was a good read to get an in-depth look at not only their immediate family but the friends and extended families as well.
August 11, 2016
This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. I never really paid that much attention to John Kennedy Jr. when he was alive in the media. At the point in life I was to busy having fun being a teenager. After I read this book it truly made me fall in love with the man he was. It is so sad that he died so young. I hated for the book to end. A must read.
September 18, 2008
This was my no-brainer summer read. The Kennedy's have fascinated me--but not enough to read two books about them. So this was two for one. It seems well-researched, but with books like these (written without the cooperation of the subject) who knows? Still, it was a fun read.
July 8, 2008
Easy and interesting read. . .great for the summer.
November 16, 2011
Well I didn't really learned anything I didn't knew before. But it was an exciting read as I've always been interested in the Kennedys.
January 26, 2016
Guilty pleasure!
July 4, 2017
Very informative book chronicling the lives of John and Caroline Kennedy from birth til present. Great read if you want to learn about the Kennedy children.
March 28, 2016
Good. Book
April 17, 2017
Okay Bio of the relationship between Caroline and John Kennedy!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews