First Great Sorrow: My years with Robert F. Kennedy

A firsthand political memoir set inside Robert F. Kennedy’s Senate office (1965–1968), offering an intimate portrait of the man behind the myth and a young woman’s coming-of-age amid the turbulence of 1960s America.

In First Great Sorrow: My Years with Robert F. Kennedy, Donna Chaffee offers a rare and intimate portrait of one of America’s most legendary political figures — told not by a historian, but by someone who knew him personally.

In 1965, at just eighteen years old, Chaffee joined Robert F. Kennedy’s Senate staff in Washington, D.C. Over the next three turbulent years, she witnessed history from inside the halls of power during the civil rights movement, the Vietnam era, and the political upheaval that defined a generation. But history is only part of the story.

Through private conversations, evening rides home from the Capitol, and unforgettable moments inside the Kennedy world—from Hyannisport summers to campaign trail chaos—Chaffee reveals the deeply human side of the man millions admired but few truly knew.

At the same time, she chronicles her own coming-of-age in 1960s America—navigating ambition, admiration, trauma, and the emotional shock of a nation shattered by tragedy.

Rich with never-before-shared stories, vivid historical detail, and powerful personal reflection, First Great Sorrow is a moving memoir about power, loss, and the complicated humanity behind political legend.

For readers fascinated by the Kennedys, the 1960s, and the people who stood just outside history’s spotlight, this unforgettable memoir offers a perspective never told before.