New book focuses on ‘marry’ Kennedys

"Para may ‘K’ ang Christmas mo."

Thus read the dedication on the card of my husband’s Christmas gift to me. I did not need to guess what was inside.

Could the "K" in my Christmas mean anything else but "Kennedy?" Shrieking like a six-year-old unwrapping a Bratz Doll on Christmas Eve, I excitedly tore open the wrapping and beheld the book, Kennedy Weddings by Jay Mulvaney (178 pages, published by St. Martin’s Press, New York).

Of the thousands of books written on the Kennedys, many of which I’ve read and kept in my library, could there be still another one that could keep me riveted?

Ah, but I am not alone here in this fascination with the Kennedys. During a recent alumnae gathering of my alma mater, the Assumption Convent, one of the nuns approached me and said: "Oh, Joanne Rae. I love your columns and never miss them, especially when you write about the Kennedys."

See, even Sister was not spared the Kennedy bug!

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Kennedy Weddings stands out among the myriad of Kennedy books because it dwells on weddings (with photographs, anecdotes, memories and souvenirs). When you think of the Kennedys, you think of funerals. Of course you think first of their achievements, but in the next breath, you think of their funerals, especially the funerals of the Kennedys who were struck down in the prime of their lives – Joe Jr., Kathleen, Jack, Robert and his sons David and Michael, and John Jr.

Somehow the noble acts of the clan are inextricably wound with tragedy. In the reel of Kennedy images rolling in my mind, I see images of Jack Kennedy delivering his inaugural address in one frame, and in the next, images of his flag-draped coffin, John Jr. saluting him.

But the Kennedys live on because they leap from triumph to tragedy to triumph again, and the book Kennedy Weddings (a picture book actually, with some photos previously unpublished) captures the moments when the family transcends grief and moves on.

Such is life. And that’s why I love the Kennedys. They always make room for new beginnings.

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Happy New Year to all. May today be a new beginning for you.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])