If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
There are a few true modern American icons in our history. Born Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Bouvier to a high-class family in New York, everyone knew Jackie was meant for greatness.
Related story All the Jack Rogers Sandal Lookalikes That'll Get You Jackie Kennedy's Look for LessNot only was she the wife, and eventual widow, of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but she became a household name for many reasons. From her devotion to her family to her pristine fashion sense, her successful book editing to her strength in times of grief, everyone saw themselves in Jackie, and fell in love with her for it.
Her life didn’t stop when Kennedy passed on that fateful day, if anything, she became a symbol of strength. She took care of their children, and grandchildren, remarried her second husband Aristotle Onassis, and later her partner until her death Maurice Tempelsman. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
She ushered in a new era of sophistication and classy humor, notably her self-deprecating humor. Per LIFE, she once said she’s okay with any title but one. “The one thing I do not want to be called is ‘first lady,’” she said. “It sounds like a saddle horse.”
There are so many stories in Jackie’s life, and so many of them can be found in amazing books.
Check out the best books on her life, loves, and fashion sense below.
A version of this article was originally published on Oct 2022.
‘Jackie: Public, Private, Secret’ by J. Randy Taraborrelli
You can pre-order the newest biography about Jackie O called Jackie: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli, which gives fans an even more intimate glimpse into how she felt during the biggest moments of her life.
Pre-Order 'Jackie: Public, Private, Secret' by J. Randy Taraborrelli$31.50, originally $35.00$35.0010% Off
on Amazon.com‘Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy’ by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
In the upcoming book Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, we get a rare glimpse into her life before becoming the First Lady. We see her favorite college trips, her life as a columnist, and how she fell in love with John F. Kennedy. Mark your calendars for May 2!
Pre-Order 'Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy' by Carl Sferrazza Anthony$29.99$29.99
on Amazon.com“Jackie & Me” by Louis Bayard
Narrated by an older Lem, one of Jacqueline Bouvier’s friends, this novel takes us through early adulthood of Jackie and her blooming affair with Jack Kennedy.
BUY NOW:$13.99, originally $28.00$28.0050% Off
on Amazon.com“Jacqueline in Paris: A Novel” by Ann Mah
The newest hit book about Jackie Kennedy is Jacqueline in Paris: A Novel, a book about Jackie before the world knew her as such. This book takes us into her college year abroad in Paris, detailing the love, heartbreak, and growth that came with that year.
BUY NOW:$21.99, originally $27.99$27.9921% Off
on Amazon.com“My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy” by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
If you’re itching for a more intimate look into the former First Lady, look no further than this book. With forgotten photos, notes, gifts, and mementos, this book looks into the trips on which the author Clint Hill went on with Jacqueline Kennedy as her Secret Service agent. It’ll be available on Oct 25, 2022, and you won’t want to miss this.
BUY NOW:$30.00, originally $35.00$35.0014% Off
on Amazon.com“Mrs. Kennedy and Me” by Clint Hill
A staple for any Jackie Kennedy lover is Mrs. Kennedy and Me book by her former Secret Service agent Clint Hill. This follows their relationship leading up to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
BUY NOW:$10.99, originally $18.00$18.0039% Off
on Amazon.com“Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story” by Barbara Leaming
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story by Barbara Leaming is all about her lifelong struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
BUY NOW:$17.99$19.005% Off
on Amazon.com“Jackie Style” by Pamela Clarke Keogh and Valentino
Jackie Style isn’t exactly about her lives and loves, but her style that made Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis an iconic name in the fashion world. With rare photos and personal letters, this book is a staple for any Jackie lover.
BUY NOW:$26.99, originally $45.00$45.0040% Off
on Amazon.com“Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy” Box Set by Jacqueline Kennedy, Michael Beschloss, and Caroline Kennedy
Get ready for this doozy: Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy is a box set full of the seven historic interviews about Jacqueline Kennedy’s life with John F. Kennedy. Along with that, it has a forward from their daughter Caroline Kennedy.
BUY NOW:$13.08, originally $60.00$60.0078% Off
on Amazon.com“Five Days in November” by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
Both personal and grief-stricken, Clint Hill finally talks about the time the nation saw JFK get assassinated and what it was like inside the Kennedy family.
BUY NOW:$15.99, originally $18.00
on Amazon.com“Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis” by Greg Lawrence
Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis talks about the less-known part of her life: her two-decade-long career as s successful book editor.
BUY NOW:$22.99$22.99
on Amazon.com“Just Jackie: Her Private Years” by Edward Klein
Arguably one of the most popular books on Jackie Kennedy is the hit book Just Jackie: Her Private Years, which follows everything in her life, from her marriage to JFK, her friendships, and those elusive years in New York, to name a few.
BUY NOW:$23.00$23.00
on Amazon.com“And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis” by Stephanie Marie Thornton
And They Called It Camelot follows Jackie’s love story with John F. Kennedy and how she became an American legend in her own right.
BUY NOW:$14.99, originally $17.00$18.0017% Off
on Amazon.com“Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie” by Carly Simon
We’ve got stories from her family, Secret Service agents, and now her unlikely best friend Carly Simon. In Simons’s book Touched By the Sun, she talks about their touching and playful friendship, giving the world a side of Jackie not normally seen in the public eye.
BUY NOW:$13.49, originally $27.00$27.0050% Off
on Amazon.com
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tLTEpKWor6NjsLC5jp6lrZ2iqa6qusyepa1no6G2pbHSoaawZ2JrgHSAl2xmm52jqXqrrcKkoJ5lm5q7r7HDsmSbp5%2BgwHA%3D