The Day the President Was Shot: The Secret Service, the FBI, a Would-Be Killer, and the Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan

The Last Days Series #5

by Bill O'Reilly

The year was 1981. Just two months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan was shot after leaving a speaking engagement in Washington, D. C. The quick action of the Secret Service and medical professionals saved the president's life. Mere days after his near-death experience, Reagan's personal strength propelled him back into his presidential duties.

Adapted from Bill O'Reilly's historical thriller Killing Reagan, with characteristically gripping storytelling, this story explores the events of the day Reagan was shot. From the scene of the shooting and the dramatic action of the Secret Service, to the FBI's interrogation of the shooter, the life-saving measures of the medical professionals and the president's extraordinary recovery, this is a page-turning account of an attempted assassination and its aftermath.

This title has Common Core connections.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Audiobook, True Crime, Presidents

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2016

About the author

Bill O'Reilly's success in broadcasting and publishing is unmatched. The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor led the program to the status of the highest rated cable news broadcast in the nation for sixteen consecutive years. His website BillOReilly.com is followed by millions all over the world.

In addition, he has authored an astonishing 12 number one ranked non-fiction books including the historical "Killing" series. Mr. O'Reilly currently has 17 million books in print.

Bill O'Reilly has been a broadcaster for 42 years. He has been awarded three Emmys and a number of other journalism accolades. He was a national correspondent for CBS News and ABC News as well as a reporter-anchor for WCBS-TV in New York City, among other high-profile jobs.

Mr. O'Reilly received two other Emmy nominations for the movies "Killing Kennedy" and "Killing Jesus."

He holds a history degree from Marist College, a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, and another master’s degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Bill O'Reilly lives on Long Island where he was raised. His philanthropic enterprises have raised tens of millions for people in need and wounded American veterans.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/billor...

Reviews

[Libby May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really actually quite informative. I learned about Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter and John Hinckley Jr. and even Jodie Foster.

Recommended for historically interested people ages 13 and up.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Cliff's Notes version of the author's book titled Killing Reagan. Both are worth reading; however, read this one first. The Day the President Was Shot will serve as an introduction to the more expansive sequel. I did enjoy the short, easy-to-read chapters, which capture the essence of the subject matter. A good pick if you need to catch up on your Reading Challenge goal.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of the old Life magazine only bigger.

(Razor liked the pictures - 4 paws.)

[Ashlei A.K.A Chyna Doll · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day The President Was Shit I feel is a part 2/Sequel to Killing Reagan . This book showed more of the Events leading up to, The event itself, And its aftermath. Basically the opposite of Killing Reagan (was mostly Ronald Reagan's Early life, Acting Career, 1st Marriage/Children, The road to the California Governor seat, to Presidency, to leaving office and ultimately his Death.. His life as a whole ) This book not only gave a look into Regans story, but revealed John Hinckley Jr's also. It put both A more HUMAN light. (Meaning we have always seen President Ronald Reagan as a "Larger then Life" persona, and John Hinckley Jr as an Insane, Obsessed, Fanatical, Nutcase ) Regan as a Family man, who loves his wife dearly and is overcoming stereotypes, and beating the odds to become President, John Hinckley Jr's Birth/Early life, His Well to do/Well respected Family, His decent into madness, and his Growing Obsession with Jodie Foster. I wonder what he thought when she gave that speech at the awards ceremony, and came-out as a Lesbian. That she had been for many years but kept it private... To think all that effort, as he put it "Sacrificing Everything For Her!! Her Love!!..... WOW *Sad really to think a man born into such privilege and not getting the help he needed..... I understand the parents not wanting to "push" there son, or even admitted something's wrong with there child. BUT SOMETHING WAS TERRIBLY WRONG AND THE FAMILY(his sister and older brother), PSYCHOLOGISTS, SCHOOLS, JOBS, ANYONE!!! I feel he was done a great injustice.( BY NO WAY AM I SAYING SHOOTING THE PRESIDENT IS OK OR RIGHT!! I'm simply saying something could have been done .... There were MULTIPLE TIMES the ball was dropped.

At the end of this book it had a "where are they now" President Reagan passed away 2004, Mrs. Reagan 2016, John Hinckley Jr still resides in St. Elizabeth Hospital (WITH PRIVILEGES I MIGHT ADD!!) But it has a few pages on the changes, and handling of The code names, The Presidential Motorcade, and lastly "progress of Guns & Gun Control"- and how we have come a long way from presidents getting shot. Better security, stricter policies and so on and so on.this book seems like its trying to say its more safer "Because of the Assassination attempt"(to me personally) .....I don't believe we can say that in a age where Gun Control is OUT OF CONTROL MORE THEN EVER!!!! Gun violence is everywhere!!! From our city streets, to Children schools, Protests, (even unheard of places) Churches!!!! Now this isn't the time or the place for a big rant or soapbox speech so ill be fast. But it just makes me think, Over 30+years ago a president was shoot, and still we haven't a clue where to start on stoping Gun Violence *Hence Gun Control...

**Fun facts
There is a part that discusses past President assassinations.
From 1835-2011there have been 17 Attempts and killings on Standing Presidents!!!!
The best one was Andrew Jackson(pg.211)
January 30,1835 a out of work painter shot President Jackson and his gun misfired, Jackson pulled his gun but also misfired, then Jackson proceeded to BEAT THE ASSAILANT WITH HIS HICKORY CANE!!!!! (He is called old hickory for being strong like the wood, BUT HE CANED A MAN!!!! A MAN WHO TRIED TO SHOOT HIM!!!!)
The man spent the rest of his life in a institution.

List of Presidents who were Assassinated or someone attempted to assassinate them.

- Andrew Jackson 1835
- Abraham Lincoln* 1865
- James Garfield* 1881
- William McKinley* 1901
-Theodore Roosevelt 1912
- Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933
- Harry Truman 1950
- John F. Kennedy* 1963
- Richard Nixon 1974
- Gerald Ford 1975
- Jimmy Carter 1979
- Ronald Reagan 1981
- George H W. Bush 1993
- Bill Clinton 1994-1996 2x
- George W. Bush 2001
- Barack Obama 2011

* for killed/Assassinated

[John Lauricella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read - learning about the tragic day President Reagan was shot and all the events that lead up to it was unbelievable. Only 2 months into his presidency, he was shot from a bullet that ricochet off the limousine he was just about to get in. There were actually two other men that were shot, among the six shots fired from a mere ten feet away. These bullets were from the man, John Hinckley Jr., who claims he was trying to impress an actress that he admired. It is incredible how close they allowed people to get to the president. They did have secret service and security, but they would let people come basically right up next to the president (even in 1981). It took Hinckley only 1.7 seconds to shoot those six bullets (you'd think with weapons that fast and powerful they'd protect the president a little more, but nonetheless, the work of the people and secret service that day, was the difference between the fifth assonated president in American history and the survivor, that Reagan turned out to be). To find out more about the what people really think happened that day and what took place leading up to it, read this fantastic book by Bill O'Reilly. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves historical nonfiction books and learning about these types of terrible catastrophes.

[Bev O · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book skips around on the timeline and is confusing. Too much time is spent on non-relevant things to the shooting. I would like to know more about all the relevant people. For example, Nixon is not relevant but Brady is. O’Reilly rarely cites sources.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the Book easy to read and I learned some things I didn't know about as well.

[Vicky Hafler · Rating 4 out of 5]

O’Reilly always gets the facts straight. Not my first “killing” book. Very straight forward and informative.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.”
Reagan’s epitaph

[Matt Maier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4. The Non-fiction book, T̲h̲e̲ ̲D̲a̲y̲ ̲T̲h̲e̲ ̲P̲r̲e̲s̲i̲d̲e̲n̲t̲ ̲W̲a̲s̲ ̲S̲h̲o̲t̲, is split up in the table of contents into three parts, Part One: The Road to the White House, Part Two: March 30, 1981, and Part Three: Moving On. There are 38 chapters between the first two parts and the last part chronicles President Ronald Reagan's life during and after the White House through 16 short chapters. I found this book stood true to it's table of contents and I liked how it was split into 3 parts. The chapters were split up so that you had to keep reading in order to finally make it to Part Two. It met my expectations that it would be like Bill O'Reilly's other books, L̲i̲n̲c̲o̲l̲n̲'̲s̲ ̲L̲a̲s̲t̲ ̲D̲a̲y̲s̲, and K̲e̲n̲n̲e̲d̲y̲'̲s̲ ̲L̲a̲s̲t̲ ̲D̲a̲y̲s̲, which I had previously read. This book was extremely well researched and very accurate. It's many sources include Memoirs of Nancy Reagan, a book written by Jerry Parr who was the secret service man that saved President Reagan's Life, and FBI and CIA files. There was little to no biased propaganda which I found surprising because Bill O'Reilly is a conservative TV host for Fox News. It was overall a very factual book chronically Ronald Reagan's Life.

5. Bill O'Reilly is neither harsh or compassionate. Since he was writing a non-fiction book, he was trying to show no bias which he achieved. He wrote in more of an informative tone which he could get certain points to the reader in order to lead up to the main idea of the book, the assassination attempt. This book will appeal mostly to readers who love history and want to learn more about our nation's presidents. This book also appeals to teens because of the fact that it has pictures to help tell the story. An adult may be more interested in the Bill O'Reilly's bestselling K̲i̲l̲l̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲R̲e̲a̲g̲a̲n̲ which is the same just without pictures. However, If I was an adult I would prefer T̲h̲e̲ ̲D̲a̲y̲ ̲T̲h̲e̲ ̲P̲r̲e̲s̲i̲d̲e̲n̲t̲ ̲W̲a̲s̲ ̲S̲h̲o̲t̲ because pictures tell a story words alone can't describe.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: just two months into his presidency in 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot in Washington, DC. Quick action saved his life.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 1 out of 5]

In March, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by a deranged man hoping to impress an actress. The quick actions of Secret Service agents and medical professionals saved his life. This is an adaptation for young people from O’Reilly’s adult book Killing Reagan. Told in very brief chapters, the author tries to explain what lead up to the shooting and the aftermath in an easy to understand way for middle and high school students.

Political commentator, O’Reilly, is making a lucrative living producing popular non-fiction about political topics. The reviews have certainly been mixed, pointing out errors and criticizing the “author” for using a co-writer/ghostwriter. I’ve read several and found them to be quick, engaging reads. This one, however, is different. The “chapters” are ridiculously brief, some as short as one page and often end with a teaser line in an attempt to build suspense. This only serves to create a choppy narrative that slips back and forth in time and actually confuses the reader. Although all the players are here and (from what I can tell) the facts are correct, but this is certainly not a well-crafted book. Text includes some random facts about Reagan & the office of the President. Includes a timeline, index, and “For Further Reading”. One other minus – the story ends before Hinckley’s release in September, so the story is incomplete.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day the President Was Shot chronologically depicts the timeline of events leading up to the day President Ronald Reagan and others were shot. In fact, readers follow a timeline from birth to present day and get to know each character in the assassination plot. The character portrayals of the Reagans and John Hinckley, Jr. become revealed with each page and haunting picture. Most notable is President Reagan’s personal strength to survive the tragedy as it spills over to the reader through words and pictures.
This young readers’ adaptation of O’Reilly’s Killing Reagan successfully introduces historical facts and recreates this time period for younger audiences. Much advancement in presidential security developed in the United States due to this single event and is described to the reader.
One begins to question the legitimacy of the not-guilty-by-insanity plea and the whereabouts of Hinckley due to clever reporting by the author. This book is sure to start conversations about other aspects of history that are mentioned throughout the book. Mild profanity and a reference to an R-rated movie were present. This book is appropriate for readers in grades eight and up. (Reviewed by Sharon Portell)

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a coincidence. In the news just this morning, they said that Hinkley was being released to live with his mother, and that he didn't appear to be a threat to himself or others. This book tells about the build up to Hinkley and how he debates what he wants to do to create importance for himself and for the options that are available. Jody Foster was his major love interest, and that was a big part of the plot in the book. The President's Secret Service detail was phenomenal. I was so impressed with them, and this many years later, it was very amazing the care and professionalism that was shown. After several of them had been shot by Hinkley and they made it to the hospital for the surgery. It was said that the hospital was at peak number of doctors and specialists. This no doubt helped to save several of their lives. Reagan, Brady and others were taken care of and had terrific care. This book was well written, and I feel that it is a supplement to Killing Reagan. Recommend.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the morning I finished this book, a judge has ruled that John Hinkley no longer poses a threat to himself, or to others and will be released from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital after 35 years. No matter how you feel about what he did, it raises questions as to whether or not this is a safe idea. And, no matter how you feel about Bill O’Reilly, he does a very nice job with this series of “special illustrated editions” of his larger historical best sellers. Incredibly easy to read and very thorough at the same time!

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected

Having just read Killing Reagan, I was intrigued by this book. I've read other O'Reilly books and enjoyed them all. When I bought this book, expected a more in depth account of what happened on the day Reagan was shot. All I got was a rehash of what I just read a few days before in Killing Reagan, almost word for word. A few more pictures were added to add length in the book, but it is basically nothing new from what I just read.
No need to read both books.

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DAY THE PRESIDENT WAS SHOT BY BILL O'REILLY takes an indepth look at the days prior and after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. You meet Hinckley & get a visual on his thoughts, his life & the torrid love affair he imagined with Jodie Foster. You get get a glimpse on the before the during and the aftermath of the shooting, including not only Reagan, but the officers, the agents & James Brady.

I am not a fan of O'Reilly's . But you cannot help but praise his writings on figures of history as well as the events that he writes about, and this book is no exception.

[Mingunnkim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that Bill O'Reilly has written a very detailed, and well researched non-fiction book about the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan (who is also one of my favourite Republican presidents). It shows the perspective of both the president, and the assassin, which makes it very easy to understand the situation. I would recommend this to people interested in politics, (as there is plenty, in the perspective of Reagan), and/or people who are interested in history.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, very easy-to-read narrative of the events leading up to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. This book provides insight into what led to that even and sheds a more human light on the "nutcase" who shot Reagan. I especially liked the pages of facts and tidbits at the end of the book.

[Eddie Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book. Nothing really new for those who have read about the Reagan assassination attempt, definitely nothing new if you read Killing Reagan. It was a nice little book to squeeze another dollar from O'Reilly's work, but not a waste of time for the reader who wants a summary of the people and events.

[Larry Van Bibber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick one day book to read. It was interesting in that it included several pictures and summarized the chronology leading up to the event.

Strictly a quick and dirty spin off from Killing Reagan.

[Jacob Blanck · Rating 5 out of 5]

He does an excellent writing about Reagan's assassin! Keep up the good work! I am very amazed about how the stories turned out to be. John Hinckley has since been released from the mental hospital as he isbnot in danger and that he can live with his elderly mother now.

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can picture where I was when I found out Reagan had been shot. Interesting read, but it seems to jump around some.

[Bella Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumps around a lot....no flow. I was hoping for more in depth details, not a long choppy magazine article.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book in the car. Excellent book!

[Heather Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast quick read. The author does a great job of keeping history fast paced and interesting. Bill O'Reilly writes some of my favorite books.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your political leanings aside, this is exactly what I'm looking for in narrative nonfiction for tweens/teens (and grownups).

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like these Bill O Reilly young adult books. This was an interesting look at Reagan's presidency. It made me wish that we had these kinds of people running for president today.

[Ric Ulloa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had trouble staying interested, though I liked the "story," I wasn't enthralled with the presentation.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very challenging reading but interesting. Quick overview with lots of photos.