Audiobooks by J. Randy Taraborrelli

"From the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story--her husband's: JFK: Public, Private, Secret. In this definitive portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, J. Randy Taraborrelli delivers a deeply researched and authoritative biography. More than the story of a presidency, this is an intimate study of a man whose public triumphs were shaped--and at times overshadowed--by the complex realities of his private life, from his legendary family to his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy. Drawing from hundreds of interviews conducted over twenty-five years--as well as candid, first-hand oral histories from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library, rare internal reports from the Secret Service, detailed files from the National Archives, and intelligence documents from both the CIA and FBI. This is JFK as never before captured by history, a figure whose legacy continues to shape America and the world. The JFK presented in Taraborrelli's biography is a complex and endlessly fascinating historical figure--despite, and perhaps even because of, his many flaws. J. Randy Taraborrelli is the bestselling author of more than 20 biographies, including Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot and The Kennedys: After Camelot—both adapted for television —as well as Jackie, Janet Lee and Jackie: Public, Private, Secret. His books have become go-to sources for producers, journalists, and readers alike, known for delivering page-turning stories grounded in deep reporting and never-before-heard details. Robert Petkoff has narrated over 220 audiobooks including many Star Trek audiobooks and Bob Woodward’s War. Alongside his narrating, he has acted in some TV classics like The Good Wife and Law & Order. © 2025 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P) 2025 DK Audio"

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

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Jackie: Public, Private, Secret

"From New York Times bestselling author of Jackie, Janet & Lee comes a fresh and often startling look at the life of the legendary former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Based on hundreds of interviews with friends, family, and lovers over a thirty-year period—as well as previously unreleased material from the JFK Library—Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an unforgettable new portrait of a woman whose flaws and contradictions only serve to make her even more iconic. “I have three lives,” Jackie told a former lover, “public, private and secret.” In this revealing biography, listeners will become intimately familiar with all three. New insights include: · Jackie’s cold feet before her wedding to Jack Kennedy and her secret plan to avoid moving into the White House with him. · Jackie's plan to meet with the woman with whom her husband, Aristotle Onassis, was again having an affair, Maria Callas…and why, in the end, she decided against it. · The truth about the nude photos of Jackie which scandalized her in the 1970s…and which family member had betrayed her by selling them. · Her unusual relationship with Maurice Templesman, which was never what outsiders believed it to be. · The never-before-reported, last-ditch efforts to save Jackie’s life with experimental cancer treatments, and the doctor who wouldn’t risk jail time in order to treat her. Twenty-nine years after her death and sixty years after the assassination of President Kennedy, Jackie delivers the last word on one of the most famous women in the world. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press."

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Jane Oppenheimer (Narrator)

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Grace & Steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the Women of the Bush Dynasty

"From New York Times bestselling celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli comes Grace & Steel, the epic, hidden history of the exceptional women behind the greatest political dynasty of all time—the Bush family. Bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli reveals the unsung heroines of the inimitable Bush family dynasty: not only First Ladies Barbara and Laura, but other colorful women whose stories have been left out of history for far too long, including Barbara’s mother-in-law, the formidable Dorothy Bush; the enigmatic Columba and the controversial Sharon; and Laura’s twins, Jenna and Barbara. No matter the challenges related to power and politics, the women of the Bush dynasty always fought for equality in their marriages as they raised their children to be true to American values. In doing so, they inspired everyday Americans to do the same. Or, as Barbara Bush put it, “The future of this nation does not depend on what happens in the White House, but what happens in your house.” Details from the book include: —The tragedy Barbara faced in burying her three-year-old daughter, Robin, and her struggle with depression over the decades that followed. —The tragic night a teenage Laura Bush accidentally killed a good friend—a story she did not discuss publicly for decades. —The revelation of the affair that almost doomed George HW's hopes for the presidency. —The truth behind the fraught relationship between Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush that culminated in an angry phone call during which Barbara told her she would never speak to her again—and she didn't. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press '...a unique and colorful look at one of America’s most powerful political families.” -- Publishers Weekly “Where Taraborrelli excels is in excavating the personal histories of the three women and how they were forever shadowed by painful episodes in their lives. [The Bush women] created a singular, admirable legacy, and this book portrays them as genuine, struggling human beings.” -- Washington Post"

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Eliza Foss (Narrator)

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The Kennedy Heirs: John, Caroline, and the New Generation - A Legacy of Tragedy and Triumph

"From New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes The Kennedy Heirs, his most revealing Kennedy audiobook yet. A unique burden was inherited by the children of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his celebrated siblings, Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Raised in a world of enormous privilege against the backdrop of American history, this third generation of Kennedys often veered between towering accomplishment and devastating defeat. In his revelatory new audiobook, acclaimed Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli draws back the curtain on the next generation of America’s most famous family. John Kennedy, Jr.’s life in the public eye is explored, following the Kennedy scion as he faced the challenges posed by marrying his great love, Carolyn Bessette. Riveting new details are shared about the couple’s tragic demise—and why Ethel Kennedy advised Carolyn not to take the trip that would ultimately end her life. John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, had her own complicated relationships, including a marriage to Ed Schlossberg that surprised her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and an unexpected bond with her mother-in-law, Mae Schlossberg. Additional stories, many shared here for the first time, illuminate the rest of the Kennedy dynasty: Kara Kennedy, Ted’s daughter, and her valiant battle against lung cancer; how Ted’s wife, Vicki, introduced a new era of feminism to the Kennedy family; the lifelong struggles with addiction faced by Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy; the unexpected way pop star Taylor Swift helped Conor Kennedy heal after the death of his mother, Bobby’s wife Mary; and Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s rise to prominence. At the center of it all is the family’s indomitable matriarch, Ethel Kennedy—a formidable presence with her maddening eccentricities and inspiring courage. Based on hundreds of exclusive first-hand interviews and cultivated over twenty years of research—including numerous Oral Histories from the JFK Library and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute—The Kennedy Heirs is an epic drama of ambition, scandal, pride and power."

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

Audiobook

Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill

"'Taraborrelli's gossipy narrative revels in luxurious decor, stunning outfits, and soap-operatic fights in this entertaining saga.' — Publishers Weekly A dazzling audiobook biography of three of the most glamorous women of the 20th Century: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, her mother Janet Lee Auchincloss, and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill. “Do you know what the secret to happily-ever-after is?” Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters Jackie and Lee during their tea time. “Money and Power,” she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother’s footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite “Black Jack” Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss. Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy Jr. and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with both of Jackie’s husbands in addition to her own three marriages—to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince and a Hollywood director. If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half-brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother. Jackie, Janet & Lee will drop listeners directly into the gilded, tangled web of secrets surrounding one of the most recognizable families in American history. More Praise for Jackie, Janet & Lee: 'Riveting. For all the sisters' dramatics, the true star of this particular show is decidedly neither the directionless Lee nor the determined Jackie. It is, in fact, the third figure in the book: Janet Bouvier Auchincloss...Taraborrelli brings her to splendid renewed life. His trick of turning incidents into highly colored tableaus threaded with dialogue makes excellent use of well-trodden material.'— New York Times Book Review 'More gossipy than 'Page Six,' J. Randy Taraborrelli's latest celebrity biography, Jackie, Janet & Lee, compellingly narrated by Ann Marie Lee, bring you up close and personal with the ever fascinating, superrich and superpowerful clan of Janet Auchincloss...Though I started listening with a jaded ear, I found myself mesmerized by the intriguing, intricate details of the trials and tragedies in these women's lives.' — BookPage"

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Ann Marie Lee (Narrator)

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The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty

"A sweeping saga of the success-and excess-of an iconic American family. Demanding and enigmatic, patriarch Conrad Hilton's visionary ideas and unyielding will established the model for the modern luxury hotel industry. But outside the boardroom, Conrad struggled with emotional detachment, failed marriages, and conflicted Catholicism. Then there were his children: Playboy Nicky Hilton's tragic alcoholism and marriage to Elizabeth Taylor was the stuff of tabloid legend. Barron Hilton, on the other hand, deftly handled his father's legacy, carrying the Hilton brand triumphantly into the new millennium. Eric, raised apart from his older brothers, accepted his supporting role in the Hilton dynasty with calm and quiet-a stark contrast to the boys' much younger half-sister Francesca, whose battle for recognition led her into courtrooms and conflict. The cast of supporting players includes the inimitable Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married to Conrad briefly and remained a thorn in his side for decades, and a host of other Hollywood and business luminaries with whom the Hiltons crossed paths and swords over the years."

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

Audiobook

After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family--1968 to the Present

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Jackie, Ethel, Joan, comes an engrossing and revealing portrait of the next generation of Kennedys. "A page-turning, emotionally riveting saga." ―Book Page For more than half a century, Americans have been captivated by the Kennedys-their joy and heartbreak, tragedy and triumph, the dark side and the remarkable achievements. In this ambitious and sweeping account, Taraborelli provides a behind-the-scenes look at the years "after Camelot." He describes the challenges Bobby's children faced as they grew into adulthood; Eunice and Sargent Shriver's remarkable philanthropic work; the emotional turmoil Jackie faced after JFK's murder and the complexities of her eventual marriage to Aristotle Onassis; the the sudden death of JFK JR; and the stoicism and grace of his sister Caroline. He also brings into clear focus the complex and intriguing story of Edward "Teddy" and shows how he influenced the sensibilities of the next generation and challenged them to uphold the Kennedy name. Based on extensive research, including hundreds of exclusive interviews, After Camelot captures the wealth, glamour, and fortitude for which the Kennedys are so well known. With this book, J. Randy Taraborrelli takes readers on an epic journey as he unfolds the ongoing saga of the nation's most famous-and controversial-family. "Meticulous multilayered details breathe life into remarkable recreations of family gatherings throughout this superb 'fly on the wall' survey of the Camelot clan." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

Audiobook

Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot

"Jacqueline Bouvier. Ethel Skakel. Joan Bennett. Three women who married into America's royal family and became forever linked in legend. Set against the panorama of explosive American history, this unique story offers a rarely-seen look at the relationship shared among the three women -- during the Camelot years and beyond. Whether dealing with their husbands' blatant infidelities, stumping for their many political campaigns, touring the world to promote their family's legacy, raising their children, or confronting death, the Kennedy wives did it all with grace, style and dignity."

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author), Beth Fowler (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by J. Randy Taraborrelli

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