"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
by James L. Swanson
336 pages
High School

In the fall of 1963, the world was shocked by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the youngest president ever of the United States.  After narrowly winning the election a few years earlier, he had grown in maturity and handled several tense situations that could have been catastrophic otherwise.  

Learn not only about this young president and what he accomplished before being killed, but also about the sniper, what drove him, and what happened the day of the assassination. 

Sometimes I find it difficult to write summaries of non-fiction.  There's not really a plot to highlight most of the time, and not really twists and turns to follow.  That being said, this book kind of does have a plot, even if the ending is not a surprise.

Told in more of a narrative style, not just laying out facts, it made it much easier to read than a lot of other non-fiction.  I enjoyed learning about JFK's background, highlights of his presidential time, and how he reacted to various situations.  Somehow, there is this huge gap in my U.S. history education after World War I through the 1980's.  This has help fill in some of those details, and it was much easier to read than a lot of the adult books would be.

Overall, this was an excellent book.  It had lots of facts, background into situation so that the reader can understand not just President Kennedy's background, but also that of the shooter.  There are also a lot of photos and diagrams to help the reader understand exactly how events played out.  Due to the depth and seriousness of the subject, I would recommend mostly for high school aged, unless a kid is super interested in history.  Great book about the topic!