The concept behind this book has been an interest of mine for many years, dating back to January 1980 when, as a Los Angeles magazine reporter specializing in African-American pop culture, I was given the unusual assignment to write a series of articles about the Kennedy family's relationship with that of Martin Luther King Jr.'s for a magazine called Soul (which I would later edit and publish). As it turned out, much to my fascination, they related to one another very much like sisters-sometimes lovingly, sometimes contentiously. And if there were no relationship at all, I decided, then the reasons for such estrangement could also prove to be interesting. Kennedy's sons that there would at least be some interesting interplay among them. While it had been long assumed by some observers that no connection existed among the three women, I always believed that their lives-as well as those of their families-were so completely transformed by marrying three of Joseph P. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.Ĭonsidering the many hundreds of books published about members of the Kennedy family over the last forty years, it's surprising that no author before me has attempted an in-depth examination of the relationships among the sisters-in-law, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, Ethel Skakel Kennedy, and Joan Bennett Kennedy. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

Jackie ethel joan j randy taraborrelli