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

Very good non-fiction about the events surrounding the assassination of JFK. Author follows the assertion that Oswald committed the crime and does not get into conspiracy theories. Gives background of the days leading up to the assassination and the aftermath with the swearing in of LBJ and the

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funeral. Good photos, diagrams, and maps to help with the logistics of the event. Quick, informative read about a crucial event in American history.

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Disclaimer - I'm not a fan (by any means) of history books which is why I found the beginning of this book rather ponderous - a recitation of facts about JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald. It started to get interesting when the facts of the motorcade's progression up Houston St. and around Dealey Plaza. No

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sensational language was used but I could not help but feel apprehension knowing what was going to occur. Because of decades of debate, many of the facts of who did what or said what are well known but that still did not reduce the impact of the events as they occurred.

Black and white pictures and diagrams abound, many of them famous (like Oswald in manacles holding up his fist). The story continues through the events at the hospital, the tragic flight home, and the funeral. The author offered a little opinion that the conspiracy theories were fired by procedural errors on the part of hospital and government staff like moving the president before an autopsy could be performed, per forma for any murder case.

I could not help but be moved by the reactions of Jackie Kennedy like refusing to change out of her suit until she returned to the White House. One fact I did not know was that one of the first things Johnson did was write letters to Caroline and John Jr.

This is a good introduction to one of our nation's greatest tragedy told plainly and factually without sensationalism. A good resource for a student to use.

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Like most Americans my age, I have been living with the John F. Kennedy assassination, in one way or another, almost non stop for the past 50 years. I heard the bulletins on the public address system in my elementary school on Friday, November 22, 1963, then watched the black and white television

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coverage around the clock that weekend, including the live broadcast Sunday morning of Jack Ruby shooting accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, and the unforgettable state funeral on Monday. Years later, I listened to endless arguments for and against the Warren Commission Report, watched in horror as the Zapruder film was first shown live by Geraldo Rivera on Good Night America in 1975, visited Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum for myself in the 1980s, and read numerous books and viewed countless TV and film documentaries about the Kennedy presidency and assassination – all the while wondering what happened, why, and what might have been had the assassination NOT happened.

But for anyone too young to have lived through those days, "The President Has Been Shot!" is by far the most straight forward, factual, and complete account of what happened in Dallas in November of 1963 that I have ever read. Author James L. Swanson has steered clear of the wildest conspiracy theories and most salacious Kennedy gossip, and instead given his readers – even one who thought he knew nearly all there was to know about this subject – a dramatic and detailed narrative based on facts and evidence, all in some 300 pages.

I initially thought it odd for a book with this title to begin with 45 pages about the life and presidency of John F. Kennedy. But upon reflection, I think Swanson has done a great service for his intended adolescent readers, giving them some idea of the man, and why anyone should care all these years later who, how, and why he was murdered in the first place.

The book was published in 2013 for the 50th anniversary, so it is informed by the most recent revelations, like those resulting from the 2011 release of the Jackie Kennedy’s oral history interviews with historian Arthur Schlesinger in 1964, and the two books published in 2013 by the Secret Service agents who guarded President and Mrs. Kennedy that weekend in Dallas. Conspiracy hounds will be disappointed as Swanson believes the Warren Commission, despite any mistakes or omissions, arrived at the right conclusion.

A compelling read for grades 6 and up.

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THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT by James Swanson is a background into the time leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassinations, and the days immediately following. It gives the relevant background history into the life of John Kennedy and his election to the Presidency. Next it

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goes into what occurs on the days leading to the assassination of Kennedy and what possibly led to Lee Harvey Oswald's mind set for the assassination. It follows with what occurs in the minutes, hours and days after the assassination. Swanson agrees with the Warren Commission findings that Oswald was the sole shooter and that he was mentally unstable leading up to it. He writes briefly of that there were theories suggesting that there was a conspiracy. The photographs are outstanding and help readers to better understanding the details and relevance of this tragic occurrence. The book is organized in a basic chronological order going back and forth between Kennedy and Oswald. It explains the important role Jackie Kennedy played and reflects her strong inner strength. Swanson gives map and photo credits as well as conspiracy literature. He has a lengthy bibliography broken into general references and the assassination reference. His resources are secondary, but he does have the Warren Commission, a 26 volume document, which might have primary sources in it. The photography is a primary source. His tone seems neutral and objective, but it has the partisan aspect of supporting the Warren Commission's Report. This book would have taken an added turn if he seriously considered other conspiracy theories. He does suggest to readers other books, if they are interested in the conspiracy theories. His writing is clear, concise and one surely realizes his passion for this topic.

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Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book opens up with some background information on John F. Kennedy and his family. It then goes into his political career; how and where it begin (as a senator) and ended with his presidency and his assassination. The book discusses his

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presidency and everything he had to deal with as a President of the United States. The book ends with the story about his assassination; the events leading up to it and after his assassination. The author also provides some background information on his assassin--Lee Harvey Oswald.
The book is separated in two parts; the first part with 10 chapters and the second with 5 chapters. The book also provides an index, bibliography, and places to visit.

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Perhaps the best historical fiction book I've read for children and young adults, James Swanson simply writes and complies a perfect account of President Kennedy's assassination for young readers. The opening chapters lay out JFK's rise to the presidency with immediacy and interesting details, and

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then do the same with Harvey Lee Oswald, with the two men meeting in Dallas on that fateful day, November 22, 1963. Swanson's extensive research gives a full and humanizing view of that day, particularly Jackie's perspective. Images that are seared on our nation's conscience are given greater depth through Swanson's narrative. I could hardly put the book down, and read it at the edge of my seat, with my heart racing, my disbelief growing, my anguish, and my tears welling even though I know the turn of events. Even though I wasn't alive in 1963. Even though we all know how this story ends. I can only hope that kids find this book and read it or have it read to them. It is essential and should be required reading in American history courses through High School AP courses. Swanson provides tremendous artifacts, photographs, and an extensive bibliography that illuminates the resources that he used as well as a compilation of conspiracy theory books that he acknowledges have a place in the historical discourse, even as he argues that the facts of the day all lead to the conclusion that Oswald acted alone and though his motives will never be known, that luck, chance, and randomness led to his decision to assassinate America's youngest president.

Outstanding, illuminating, and powerful. Highly recommended grades 6-9.

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"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson was released to correspond with the fiftieth anniversary of the event. Aimed at a young adult audience, it has two parts: a brief biography of Kennedy and then a very thorough blue print of the assassination

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and immediate aftermath.

Kennedy is the last United States president to have been assassinated. The others are Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. More recently there was an attempt on Reagan. Put another way, one in every eleven presidencies have ended with an assassination. If ill health in brought into play, the rate of death among presidents is even higher. But Lincoln and Kennedy of the four get the most attention and their deaths are often treated as more tragic than the other two.

John F. Kennedy (and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Kennedy family) is introduced in the first part of the book. This biography takes up approximately a third of the page count, but it sets the wrong tone — one that would have resonated with YA readers when those readers were part of the Baby Boom generation. It tries to set up Kennedy as a tragic hero, destined both to be president and to be a martyr. Kennedy was born into privilege. Sure, being Catholic was counted against him at the time but he was not an everyman who rose power and greatness.

The Camelot crap is VERY STALE marketing PR. Look at it this way: Kennedy died TEN YEARS before Iw as born. He is not (and never was) as emotionally relevant to my generation and we were only a decade or so removed from his presidency. Now take todays YA readership. They are more like twenty or thirty years removed. Setting JFK up as a manifest hero doesn't come across as a convincing argument. All it does is get int he way of an otherwise fascinating breakdown of a security hole that could have been prevented with a little foresight.

So, unless you want to wallow in a sappy introduction, skip to the well written second part. It avoids all the nonsense of conspiracy theories and shows clearly how one homegrown gun freak who wanted to make a name for himself was able to by being in the right place at the right time. The assassination was a perfect storm of security holes combined with one person with just enough rifle practice to pull off a lucky pair of shots.

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This book is about the Kennedy assassination. It goes into the theories surrounding his death. They talk about his assassins life. It is a really sad and depressing book about a president that most of the nation adored. The book also goes into the funeral. Apparently, the first Lady modeled his

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funeral after Presiden Liconls funeral. She thought it would be fitting seeing how he died. I was an okay book. The book ended with showing us the president three-year-old son saluting his father at his funeral.

I gave this book 2 stars because it was kind of boring. It told a great story and had a bunch of cool information but it was not something I would read again and again. I found it really depressing. All and all it wasn't a horrible book.

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"As the night lengthened on November 21, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald could not
escape the hopelessness of his life. He was a lonely, impoverished, and
embittered young man who had failed at everything in life that he had ever
attempted -- high school, the Marine Corps, marriage, fatherhood, menial

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jobs, political activism, writing, being an expatriate, and significance. And
now, on this night, he had failed in love. He was helpless, drifting
toward oblivion. Tomorrow he would change that."

I was ten years old when President Kennedy was killed. I've never learned very much about the
troubled short life of JFK's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. But this book
has changed that.

Another thing I've learned from “THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!” are the
bad decisions made by the Dallas police that led up to the subsequent murder
of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby.

And yes I still have questions that probably will never be answered.

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