Dear Mrs. Kennedy: The World Shares Its Grief, Letters November 1963

Jay Mulvaney, Paul De Angelis

Macmillan + ORM, Oct 12, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 241 pages

From the bestselling author of Kennedy Weddings and Diana and Jackie comes a powerful and moving collection of the condolence letters Jacqueline Kennedy received after the assassination of John F. Kennedy
In the weeks and months following the assassination of her husband, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy received more than one million letters. The impact of President Kennedy's death was so immense that people from every station in life wrote to her, sharing their feelings of sympathy, sorrow, and hope.
She received letters from political luminaries such as Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and Charles De Gaulle. Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall, Vivian Leigh, and Gene Kelly voiced their sympathy, as did foreign dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II, the King and Queen of Greece, and the Prince of Monaco. Distinguished members of the arts and society—Ezra Pound, Noel Coward, Babe Paley, Langston Hughes, Oleg Cassini, Josephine Baker—offered their heartfelt condolences. And children, with the most heartbreaking sincerity, reached out to the First Lady to comfort her in her time of grief.
More than just a compendium of letters, Dear Mrs. Kennedy uses these many voices to tell the unforgettable story of those fateful four days in November, when the world was struck with shock and sadness. It vividly captures the months that followed, as a nation---and a family---attempted to rebuild.
Filled with emotion, patriotism, and insight, the letters are a poignant time capsule of one of the seminal events of the twentieth century. Dear Mrs. Kennedy offers a diverse portrait not only of the aftermath of the assassination, but of the Kennedy mystique that continues to captivate the world.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Four Days to Remember: 11
• Family and Close Friends: 36
• Memories: 55
• Political Friends and Foes: 78
• The Written Word: 105
• Hollywood and the Jet Set: 123
• Mourning in Every Nation: 153
• Voices of the Young: 184
• A Hero to Every American: 203
• A Note on the Letters: 223
• Acknowledgments: 224
• A Message of Thanks: 230
• Credits and Permissions: 232

About the author

JAY MULVANEY, the author of Kennedy Weddings and Diana and Jackie and an Emmy Award--winning writer and producer, was once an office boy for Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
PAUL DE ANGELIS has been an editor, editorial director, and editor-in-chief at such publishing companies as St. Martin's Press, E. P. Dutton, and Kodansha America.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Dear Mrs. Kennedy: The World Shares Its Grief, Letters November 1963
• Authors: Jay Mulvaney, Paul De Angelis
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Macmillan + ORM, 2010
• ISBN: 1429946024, 9781429946025
• Length: 241 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State; History / United States / 20th Century