Once Upon a Secret
My affair with President John F. Kennedy and its aftermath
by Mimi Alford, 2012, Random House
If you thought the Monica Lewinsky scandal was despicable (as I did), you'll probably find this book disturbing, too. A 19-year-old virgin when she joined the White House Press Office in the summer of 1962, Mimi's first week on the job--which should be a dream job--turns into something of a nightmare. She is invited to the White House pool for a swim, then later to the President's private residence (with others along both times). With Jackie away, JFK shows her his wife's bedroom--and proceeds to provide her with her first sexual experience.
Was it "date rape"? Mimi says no. But consider the power differential: 19 vs. 40-something; virgin vs. experienced; college student vs. President of the United States. If it was my daughter, I'd be livid.
It makes for some awkward moments in her job, her relationships with friends & family (and eventual husband). Her experiences with the President--which continued off & on until he was killed--were confusing enough, but what became just as problematic was the secret itself and the keeping of it.
By the end of the book, Mimi has found a satisfying, late-life relationship with her now husband (not the one she married in the 1960s), and having revealed the secret to family and friends has come to terms with something that overshadowed her life & loves.
by Mimi Alford, 2012, Random House
If you thought the Monica Lewinsky scandal was despicable (as I did), you'll probably find this book disturbing, too. A 19-year-old virgin when she joined the White House Press Office in the summer of 1962, Mimi's first week on the job--which should be a dream job--turns into something of a nightmare. She is invited to the White House pool for a swim, then later to the President's private residence (with others along both times). With Jackie away, JFK shows her his wife's bedroom--and proceeds to provide her with her first sexual experience.
Was it "date rape"? Mimi says no. But consider the power differential: 19 vs. 40-something; virgin vs. experienced; college student vs. President of the United States. If it was my daughter, I'd be livid.
It makes for some awkward moments in her job, her relationships with friends & family (and eventual husband). Her experiences with the President--which continued off & on until he was killed--were confusing enough, but what became just as problematic was the secret itself and the keeping of it.
By the end of the book, Mimi has found a satisfying, late-life relationship with her now husband (not the one she married in the 1960s), and having revealed the secret to family and friends has come to terms with something that overshadowed her life & loves.