{ "item_title" : "A Secret Service Memoir", "item_author" : [" James S. Kalafatis "], "item_description" : "The author initially was pursuing a business career, but a junior-year management internship at American Express changed his mind. It made him realize he needed a more exciting, edgier vocation to get him out of bed each morning. He found it in the Secret Service, where he enjoyed chasing bad guys and bringing them to justice, but behind the scenes, changes were underway that would interrupt that assignment. After President Kennedy's widow married Aristotle Onassis, she requested that a Greek-speaking agent be added to her children's detail, as she had decided they would now spend their future school summer and holiday breaks in Greece. Jim Kalafatis, a Greek-American agent in the Service's New York Field Office, was uniquely qualified and chosen for the assignment. Initially unhappy with the transfer, he was a history enthusiast who had closely followed JFK's presidency. He decided to make the best of it by seeing it as an opportunity to learn more about JFK from those who knew him best: his family and those who had worked closely with him. His experiences with their mother during that three-year assignment also gave him a rare window into the true persona and fragility of one of the century's most iconic female figures. His book is full of riveting anecdotes from his investigative and protection assignments, along with memories of storied colleagues he worked with during a decade-long posting in the Service's New York Field Office. Details of his subsequent four-year assignment at headquarters in Washington offer a behind-the-scenes look at the relationships among the Service, the Department of Defense, Congress, and the CIA. Unlike other books on the Secret Service, his does not glamorize the job. Instead, it offers readers an inside look at the work of agents the public never sees, interspersed with his personal life and the frustrating challenges of assignments that are at times frightening, surprising, and even bizarre. The memoir has been praised for its candor and vivid insights by a wide range of readers, including a New York Times best-selling author, former Secret Service officials, history enthusiasts, and those curious about the Secret Service's mystique. It offers readers rare insights into the agency's origins, its internal culture, and the everyday challenges agents face during difficult assignments. Never-before-told stories about his work experiences, storied colleagues, and the historical figures he met will change how you see the Service's work, revealing an unseen, nuanced side of the twentieth-century icons he met on his 25-year journey.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers3.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/883/663/9798836639990_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "15.99", "online_price" : "15.99", "our_price" : "15.99", "club_price" : "15.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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