This story is part of the WTOP Book Report series written by Terik King. Read more of that coverage here. 

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<figcaption>J. Randy Taraborrelli discusses 'JFK: Public, Private, Secret" with the WTOP Book Report.(Author Photo credit Badford Rogne; Cover Art courtesy St. Martin's Press / JFK wedding photo public domain / JFK Library)</figcaption>
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<figcaption>J. Randy Taraborrelli discusses 'JFK: Public, Private, Secret" with the WTOP Book Report.(Author Photo credit Badford Rogne; Cover Art courtesy St. Martin's Press / JFK wedding photo public domain / JFK Library)</figcaption>
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For decades, John F. Kennedy has remained one of America’s most scrutinized presidents, with thousands of books chronicling his politics, scandals and assassination. But bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli says his new biography seeks to move past the mythology to uncover the man himself.

“JFK: Public, Private, Secret,” published by St. Martin’s Press, is the sixth book Taraborrelli has written about the Kennedy family — and his first to focus squarely on the 35th president. The book quickly became an instant New York Times bestseller and was named one of Amazon’s best books of July.

“This book is about a man’s journey, an imperfect man who, through trial and error, worked toward becoming a better person,” Taraborrelli told WTOP in an interview for The Book Report. “He figures out that in order to be a great leader, he needed to first become a great man — and he does both of those in tandem.”

Drawing from 25 years of research, Taraborrelli weaves together oral histories, taped interviews, FBI and CIA files, and documents from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

He said the most surprising discovery came from an interview with Janet Des Rosiers, Joe Kennedy’s longtime secretary, who revealed she also acted as his surrogate wife with Rose Kennedy’s knowledge. That revelation, Taraborrelli said, sheds light on JFK’s own troubled marriage.

Her story informs who JFK was as a husband to Jackie, according to Taraborrelli. “If you’re raised in a family (like that), then what do you bring to your own marriage?” asks Taraborrelli.

The biography also introduces readers to Joan Lundberg, a little-known woman who carried on a three-year relationship with Kennedy during a low point in his marriage. Taraborrelli said their bond, which resembled therapy more than romance, helped Kennedy eventually reconnect with his wife.

The author emphasizes that his book is not a salacious “tell-all.” Instead, it explores the relationships that shaped Kennedy’s conscience — a conscience Taraborrelli said both burdened and motivated him.

“When you have a conscience, your behavior, if it’s unconscionable, really hits you hard,” he said. In Taraborrelli’s narrative, Kennedy was tormented by some of his choices, and over time, he learned to take accountability — with Jackie and with the country.

Taraborrelli points to Kennedy’s response after the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion as a defining moment. Rather than shift blame for the fiasco — inherited from the Eisenhower administration, Kennedy accepted responsibility. The decision boosted his approval ratings to 85%.

“Accountability (is) what people want from their leaders,” Taraborrelli said. “I think that’s a hopeful story to tell in these really fractured times … that kind of hope, I think, is needed right now.”

The subtitle, “Public, Private, Secret,” mirrors Taraborrelli’s 2024 biography of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. He said it reflects the three sides of Kennedy’s life: the public figure, the private man and the “secret” self only a few ever saw.

“Jackie told me face-to-face one time, ‘What’s the point of a biography if it doesn’t tell a person’s secrets?'” Taraborrelli recalled of his time working with the former first lady when she was an editor at Doubleday Publishing.

“My job as a biographer (is) to invade my subjects’ privacy. If you want to do a good book, you have to be revealing and honest. And I try to do that along with being empathetic.”

“It’s not always an easy read,” Taraborrelli said. “But if you stick with it, you’ll get a lot out of it. You do see the full picture of a man as he grows into himself, and maybe that might help someone else do the same thing.”

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