The President Has Been Shot!

The book that I chose for my fourth quarter English project was The President has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, by James L. Swanson. This novel is one that portrays the life of former President John F. Kennedy before, during and after his assassination. The most unique and valuable part of this novel is how Swanson avoids trying to convince anyone of a conspiracy surrounding the assassination itself; instead he is giving readers the straight up facts surrounding that unfortunate day, November 22, 1963. Any individual, who picks up this novel to read it, is not going to be blinded by false uncertainties. Instead the reader is just given all the facts and is able to believe what they want after gaining full knowledge of the life and times of President John F. Kennedy.

The story is one that just states all the facts. It is an informative novel that just consists of everything one would need to know about the life and assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. This novel has a target audience of young adults in high school. In order to keep this audience entertained and wanting to read, Swanson made sure his work was easy to comprehend and read. His use of photos, diagrams and maps gives readers a clear image and play by play of what happened with his assassination. The use of his concise and factual writing made it an intense and gripping experience for the reader, because there was no misunderstanding or not comprehending what was going on in any point in the novel. With this novel being a completely factual account, it accurately depicts real life, of a terrible tragedy in American history.

In conclusion I would recommend this novel as a must read for young adults in high school. It is an informative novel leaving the reader with an abundance of knowledge about one of the most tragic days in American history. John F. Kennedy was a great man whose legacy must be remembered. Him and his family have made a tremendous impact on American politics, so it is a must read in order to gain the proper knowledge.