Review of Camera Girl by Carl Sferrazza Anthony

*Camera Girl* by Carl Sferrazza Anthony (2023). Published by Gallery Books.

One of my white whales in life is a good book about Jackie Kennedy. I like to claim this is an obsession I inherited from my grandmother (may her soul rest in peace), who was obsessed with JFK. She was a hoarder and in her house, when we were cleaning out, there was so much collectible merchandise about and from JFK.

This was shocking because she was a lifelong Republican, but oh well. That’s why this might be a genetic problem. Regardless, I’ve been looking for books about Jackie Kennedy for a hot minute, and while I’ve been compiling all of these books to read, like so many other things in my life, I’ve procrastinated on reading any of them.

Camera Girl was a new release when I picked up a copy at the library, and, somehow, I ended up reading it immediately despite the stack of books that were ahead of it in my to-read pile. I think this was a pretty quick read for me; I finished it in less than two days, as it wasn’t that long and the writing itself is pretty clear.

Now, despite picking this book up upon release (which I think was a coincidence to be honest), so imagine my joy when I realized this was about Jackie as a young woman. It separates her largely from the men who defined her later on in life, which I love to see.

Onwards with the review!

A recollection of Jackie Kennedy’s intellect as a young woman.

The first section of the book is about Jackie Kennedy’s upbringing. Her parents weren’t a happy couple, and eventually separated when Jackie was still technically a child. She came from two sides of family that had some forms of wealth, and although her father lost more of his during the 1929 crash, her mother ended up leaving partially because of the fact she came from even more money than him.

She ended up remarrying and moving down towards Washington D.C., but Jackie was close to both of her parents, much to her mother’s chagrin.

Despite the expectations of the era she was living in for women, especially wealthy women, Jackie pushed the boundaries of what she could and could not be. She was a good writer and was aware of that fact, so when it was time to go to college, that’s what she decided to pursue.

Now, a big chunk of the book is focused on Jackie Kennedy’s years in college. She first attended Vassar College, where she tested the limits of the rules and got to live her best life as a socialite who kind of special privileges because of her status.

It was there she ended up studying abroad in France, getting really good at French and connecting with her distant French heritage. Jackie was almost kicked out of Vassar at one point for missing the curfew, as she snuck out to meet with a boy, which leads her to transfer to a school in Washington D.C.: Georgetown.

It was her final year as a student, but moving to DC would change her life forever. She ended up landing the coveted Vogue assistant gig (the one that Sylvia Plath would be accepted to as well), but was forced to decline because of her mother.

That ends up for the better, as she ends up landing a job at The Washington Post. Although her methods are a bit unethical at times, she does end up with her own column with cartoons, which established her as a name to watch out for in editorial and in the DC circles. Then, at the parties, she ends up becoming more involved with the Kennedy family, and the rest is history from there.

Overall Thoughts

As I mentioned before, the biggest charm for this book to me is the fact it establishes that Jackie Kennedy was a brilliant girl. Sure, she was wealthy and had such immense privilege because of it, but most people don’t associate Jackie Kennedy with brains. They associate her with her husbands, money, and appearance.

That’s so sexist at the end of the day, and it’s awesome that books like these reclaim her as someone who existed outside of the men in her life. Jackie Kennedy paved her own path, and although she knew JFK was a cheater, she still took him in as someone in her most inner circle.

Major kudos to her for what she achieved in her life, although she had to go through such immense trauma. I recommend this for anyone interested in the subject matter.

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads below for more content.