"The President Has Been Shot!"

Starred review from September 2, 2013
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. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment.

September 1, 2013
Readers coming cold to this book about the assassination of John F. Kennedy will learn a great deal about the crime but much less about the man who died. Swanson devotes a scant 20 pages to the issues that dominated Kennedy's presidency before describing "the Kennedy mystique." In his telling, John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy come through as very human figures (albeit ones without weaknesses), who cast a bright light on national, global and political landscapes. His telling is almost hagiographic. The assassination and its aftermath occupy the heart of the book, the writing often straining to pull at heartstrings. This is particularly evident when describing Jackie Kennedy's actions before and during the funeral. Of course she was bereft--but strong enough to plan the entire observance down to the eternal flame on the grave. As for Lee Harvey Oswald, Swanson asks many gratuitous questions about what made him kill before admitting that neither he nor others know. Why ask? In the epilogue, Swanson waxes purple, stating that "Oswald struck from the shadows. Then he robbed us of the rest of the story." Well, what about Jack Ruby? Although the narrative verges on mythmaking, the many, many photographs and diagrams give the volume some value. Readers wishing for a more restrained, neutral, journalistic treatment should stick with Wilborn Hampton's Kennedy Assassinated: The World Mourns (1997). (source notes, further reading, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 6 Up-Swanson's title reads like a thriller, with intense pacing and an engaging narrative. The event is not depicted as dry, textbook history, but rather as a horrifying and shocking crime. Full- and double-page photographs of President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, and stills from the famous Zapruder film-which captured the assassination in real time-breathe emotion into the work. Kennedy's and Oswald's backgrounds are illuminated as the narrative descends toward their tragic connection. A well-illustrated map of Dealey Plaza detailing the President's route clarifies the position of relevant buildings and features at the time of the assassination. This book is graphic with respect to both images and verbage. Swanson provides a compelling case for Oswald as a lone gunman, arguing against the various and popular conspiracy theories. A diagram of the infamous "magic bullet" illustrates how a single bullet could cause multiple wounds for both JFK and Governor Connally. Despite the great number of books on Kennedy's assassination, this volume stands out for its gripping storytelling style and photographic documentation.-Jeffrey Meyer, Mount Pleasant Public Library, IA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 6-10 Historian Swanson, who focused on Abraham Lincoln in Chasing Lincoln's Killer (2009) and Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis (2011), introduces the man who became the youngest president in American history. The narrative text highlights John F. Kennedy's naval career, abbreviated presidential term, and his courtship and family life with Jacqueline Bouvier. Swanson balances this coverage of the former president with a profile of Lee Harvey Oswald as well as a dramatic account of Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. Swanson makes clear that he agrees with the Warren Commission that Oswald was the lone gunman, and he spells out his disdain for conspiracy theories. Pair this title with O'Reilly's Kennedy's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America (2012), which posits that there was a mysterious figure who some thought was Oswald's CIA handler. Archival photographs, explicit diagrams of the assassination scene, source notes, and a bibliography that includes conspiracy-focused literature add further value to this strong addition to Kennedy titles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

November 18, 2013
Will Patton turns in a winning performance in this audio edition of Swanson's YA history of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The author presents a thorough and gripping account of the assassination of the 35th president of the United States, covering everything from Kennedy's early years and the Cuban Missile Crisis to a detailed account of the terrible events that took place in Dallas on Friday, November 22, 1963. Patton's reading is clean, well paced, and demands listener attention from the very beginning. The narrator's voice has an edge to itâone that hints at the tragedy that is soon to befall Kennedyâand Patton wisely refrains from doing an impression of JFK when reading lines from the president's famous speeches. This audiobook will serve young listeners as an excellent introduction to one of the saddest chapters in American history. A Scholastic hardcover.

January 1, 2014
Swanson's clear, concisely written, and riveting narrative highlights the key events of the Kennedy administration before focusing on the moment-by-moment details of JFK's assassination. Also included are an exploration of Lee Harvey Oswald's background, an aerial-view photograph of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, a detailed map of the motorcade route, and images of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald perched, rifle in hand. Extensive back matter. Bib., ind.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, was "the great American tragedy," according to Swanson, whose clear and concisely written narrative highlights the key events of the Kennedy administration before focusing on the moment-by-moment details of the assassination. Part two of the narrative opens with Lee Harvey Oswald's background, an aerial-view photograph of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, a detailed map of the motorcade route, and images of the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald perched, rifle in hand. With riveting text and well-selected photographs, the narrative proceeds with an account of the assassination, weaving in information from the now-famous Abraham Zapruder film and culminating with grisly hospital scenes. Everything is here but the matter of Oswald's motive. As Swanson states in the epilogue, "Whatever his motives, Oswald took them with him to the grave." The epilogue also considers conspiracy theories, the report from the Warren Commission, and how some people believe the Kennedy assassination ushered in a dark time that included an escalation of the Vietnam War, racial violence, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Extensive back matter provides further information. dean schneider

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)