The President Has Been Shot!: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
A YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award Finalist
A breathtaking and dramatic account of the JFK assassination by the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing Lincoln's Killer.
In his new young-adult book on the Kennedy assassination, James Swanson will transport readers back to one of the most shocking, sad, and terrifying events in American history. As he did in his bestselling Scholastic YA book, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, Swanson deploys his signature "you are there" style -- a riveting, ticking-clock pace, with an unprecedented eye for dramatic details and impeccable historical accuracy -- to tell the story of the JFK assassination as it has never been told before.
The book is illustrated with archival photos, diagrams, source notes, bibliography, places to visit, and index.
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"Swanson brings the same immediacy and thrillerlike tension he achieved in Chasing Lincoln's Killer to this harrowing account of the Kennedy assassination (an adult version, End of Days, will be published later this year). As the subtitle suggests, Swanson concentrates on the buildup to and aftermath of the Dallas shooting on November 22, 1963. After a quick overview of Kennedy's ascent to and first years in office (including the Bay of Pigs and the Space Race), he shifts between Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald in the days before and after the assassination. Swanson doesn't avoid the horrific details of the shooting, and he's open about the failings of well-meaning officials and staffers in the wake of the shooting. There's no danger of uncovering any sympathy for Oswald, painted by Swanson as "a complaining, self-pitying, attention-seeking, temperamental, impoverished idealogue." The book's meticulous design incorporates numerous diagrams and b&w period photographs, and extensive source notes back up Swanson's work. Even the simple decision to title the book's chapters by date emphasizes how, in the span of just a few days, America changed irrevocably." - Publishers Weekly starred review
Praise for CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER An ALA Best Books for Young Adults
BOOKLIST Notable Children's Book
Recommended as one of the top children's books about Lincoln by AMERICAN HISTORY MAGAZINE. * "The YA version of Swanson's bestselling MANHUNT this account of Lincoln's assassination and the twelve-day search for his killer reads like a historical thriller. . . . Abundant period photographs and documents enhance the book's immediacy."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review * "Divided into fourteen chapters and an epilogue, the sentences are shorter and chapters are condensed from the original but the rich details and suspense are ever present, . . . It is a tale of intrigue and an engrossing mystery. With the approaching bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this is a most welcome addition to all libraries."--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review
