Bestselling author RoseMarie Terenzio and the editor-at-large at People magazine, Liz McNeil, have collaborated on this rare look at an American president’s son whose independent public life began when, at the age of three, he was seen on camera saluting his father’s casket. JFK JR. consists of hundreds of recollections by those who knew him at every stage of his fascinating yet tragically short life.

"Terenzio and McNeil are to be commended for having diligently delved into the public and private life of a man who Garth Brooks heralded after his passing as someone who 'just seemed to wear his life right in front of you.'"

John F. Kennedy Jr. was named after his father, whose assassination in 1963 shocked the world and remains in many ways a mysterious chapter in American history. He spent his earliest years in the White House, where he was regarded by Maud Shaw, the nanny to him and his sister Caroline, as “one hundred percent boy.” Childhood friend Jason Beghe remembers him as clumsy and not at all athletic, while classmate Massimo Maglione speaks of his looks --- both “strikingly” good and, at times, “awkward.” Ed Hill, who attended Andover with John, says that he was “one of the few wealthy elite white people I knew who had reverence for African American culture.”

John was the co-founder of the magazine George, a foray into presenting the political scene in a vibrant format. He enjoyed interviewing people for the publication. In fact, presidential candidate Gary Hart remembers him as “personable and persuasive.” He married Carolyn Bessette, a high fashion figure, and showed his unique sense of humor by giving his male guests boxer shorts --- “a weird thing,” according to close friend Robbie Littell.

Most people who knew John well agree on two significant aspects of his self-presentation: he rarely spoke about his father, and he had an obsessive interest in airplanes and flying. The former trait seems natural considering the extreme trauma suffered by his mother, Jacqueline, who sat next to her husband as he was shot and killed by an assassin’s bullet. The latter trait would decide his fate. In 1999, he piloted his private plane, which crashed --- killing him, Carolyn and her sister, Lauren. Yet historian Steve Gillon declares, “There’s no such thing as a Kennedy curse.” He cites John’s natural recklessness and his apparent deep-seated belief that “something was going to save him.”

RoseMarie Terenzio, who was John’s executive assistant and served as his chief of staff at George, offers many of her own reflections. Partnering with Liz McNeil offered scope for wide research about their subject. It would seem, from the multiplicity of memories, that many assumptions could be made about him. But here, the real person is more clearly revealed. He was a tormented soul, but (like his father) he wished to impress and improve in all settings in which he found himself.

JFK JR. offers a collection of little-seen, often poignant photographs. Contributors featured in this dynamic overview include well-known names like Katie Couric, Whoopi Goldberg, Edward Kennedy, Jay Leno and Bill Clinton. But equally informative and emotive are those reflections offered by close friends and colleagues, lesser known but perhaps more solidly acquainted with John. Terenzio and McNeil are to be commended for having diligently delved into the public and private life of a man who Garth Brooks heralded after his passing as someone who “just seemed to wear his life right in front of you.”