JFK: Public, Private, Secret by J.
Randy Taraborrelli
Published: July 15,
2025 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Biography
Memoir, President, Non-Fiction
In this deeply researched presidential biography, J. Randy Taraborrelli tells John F. Kennedy’s story in a provocative new way by revealing how public moments in his life were so influenced by private relationships with not only his family, but also Jackie’s.
But it’s the secret life that also surprises. As Congressman, Senator and finally President, JFK was a magnet for women. With exclusive interviews and meticulous research, Taraborrelli reveals not only the man’s many affairs but also the strength and resolve his wife showed in coping with them.
JFK’s women include:
· Jackie Kennedy, and her rules of engagement for Jack’s “Don’t lie about it, and don’t rub it in my face.”
· Inga Arvad. JFK’s first love and how it ended over fears she was a Nazi spy.
· Marilyn Monroe. Why Jackie insisted JFK call it off with “This one’s different, Jack. This one’s trouble!”
· Joan Hitchcock. The mysterious brunette who comforted Jack after Jackie threatened to file for divorce.
· Marlene Dietrich. JFK’s last fling before Dallas.
Other great stories
· How JFK’s grief over his infant son caused him to make rash decisions that pulled the USA into Vietnam for the first time.
· The real truth, once and for all, about the Mafia’s involvement in JFK’s election.
· Jackie’s two romantic interests as First Lady. One was a doctor, the other an architect… and neither was a President.
· The startling drug abuse that clouded the President’s decisions during the disastrous Bay of Pigs...
· … and how Jackie managed to wean him from those drugs in time for the nearly cataclysmic Cuban Missile Crisis.
The JFK presented in Taraborrelli’s definitive biography is a complex and endlessly fascinating historical figure, despite—and maybe even because of—his many flaws.
My Thoughts: This 592
page book looks daunting but once I started it I could not put it down. I wanted to learn more about JFK’s life
pre-presidency and during the presidency.
I thought I knew about JFK but with this book I learned so much
more. It was interesting to see behind the scenes of
his personal and public life. There is
more to him than what he shared with the public.
Each chapter was short, just a few pages at the most. I felt like each chapter gave an in depth
look at JFK’s life. The facts that are well known were given more details and
the lesser known parts of JFK’s life were shared with great detail. I
ended the book with so much knowledge not just about JFK but about the Kennedy
family.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book in
exchange for my honest review.
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His recent books, Jackie, Janet & Lee: The
Secret History of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis and Princess Lee Radziwill, and Jackie: Public, Private,
Secret both became instant bestsellers in 2018 and 2023, praised for
their intimate and revelatory portrayal of the formidable women behind
America’s most storied family.
Among his other widely acclaimed works are Call Her
Miss Ross; Elizabeth (his definitive biography of
Elizabeth Taylor); Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole
Story (a global phenomenon translated into more than 30 languages;
and After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family, 1968 to
the Present.
Taraborrelli’s Madonna : An Intimate Biography became
a worldwide bestseller, remaining on the London Times bestseller
list for six months.
He’s also the author of deeply researched and critically
praised biographies of Frank Sinatra, Carol Burnett, Cher,
and a lush visual chronicle of Motown Records.
A lifelong journalist and storyteller, J. Randy Taraborrelli
brings readers behind the headlines with empathy, precision, and a gift for
revealing the people behind the personas.
I also found the book an interesting read, but it made me less of a fan of JFK. He might have been an inspiring President to many, but on a personal level he was selfish, immature and thoughtless. And I don't believe that he had some sort of transformation at the end of his life. Just because he grieved the loss of his son Patrick (which any normal person would do) and on one occasion (weeks before his death) decided not to cheat on Jackie, hardly equates to some big change. And the idea that he wanted to renew his vows with Jackie seems laughable to me as numerous friends etc. have said that JFK was not a romantic man at all. I think it was just more romantic gibberish that Jackie and others tried to push after JFK's death and the author fell for it. It's interesting that Charlie Bartlett who introduced JFK and Jackie said years later that he regretted doing so because JFK caused Jackie so much pain and heartache over the years. He went on to said that JFK should never have married anyone. And George Smathers (another close friend) said that while people might describe JFK as a good friend or a good politician, but no-one would describe him as a good husband or father. I think JFK was a narcissist and incapable of really loving anyone. I think he grew to appreciate Jackie, but I don't think he ever loved her. He used countless women over the years, including Jackie and never seemed to have any regrets about any of it. He can be admired for his public service, but I certainly don't admire him as a person. He may have been smart and witty and even fun to be around (as people have described him) but I think he suffered from a real lack of morality and decency and hurt alot of people around him!
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