Assassins' America: Four Killers, Four Murdered Presidents, and the Country They Left Behind

by Jessica S. Gunderson

Abraham Lincoln watched a play. James Garfield walked through a train station. William McKinley shook hands with his public. John Kennedy smiled and waved from a motorcade. In these moments shots rang out and four presidents suffered mortal wounds. Some say their assassins were calculating killers. Others say they were madmen guided by strange notions of the world. Assassins’ America examines the lives of each killer and his victim. Their stories are full of twists and mysteries, and even today Americans live with lasting effects of these terrible crimes.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[John Plowright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who believes in the Great Man theory of History – that key individuals can impact events – must logically also subscribe to the Little Man view of History: that by removing a Great Man their assassin can also influence the course of events. Such is the supposition behind “Assassins’ America” which is subtitled “Four Killers, Four Murdered Presidents, and the Country They Left Behind”.

Within each section of the book’s four parts (relating to Lincoln, Garfield, Mckinley and Kennedy), the authors, Jessica Gunderson and Joe Tougas, consider the President, their assassin, the assassination and its consequences for America.

The book is very well illustrated and mostly comprises very easy to read narrative. The problems arise when an attempt is made at analysis, where such broad brushstrokes are employed that the project is in danger of being devalued.

Take, for example, the assessment of the “Lasting Blow to Freedom and Equality” represented by Lincoln’s replacement by Andrew Johnson. It is, of course true, that the latter destroyed the hopes of the Radical Republicans for a full-blooded Reconstruction but whilst his pardons, opposition to a redistribution of land to former slaves and allowing the southern states to develop restrictive Black Codes are all covered, there’s no mention of his vetoing of the Freedmen’s Bureau and Civil Rights Bills or his opposition to ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. Moreover a leap is made from the Black Codes and the Ku Klux Klan to the Montgomery Bus Boycott with no reference to events such as the Hayes Compromise (1877), which resulted in the end of Reconstruction, or Plessy v Ferguson (1896), which provided the legal bedrock for Jim Crow.

Similarly, the many flaws in the Warren Report are simply brushed aside and Lee Harvey Oswald is unequivocally presented as the lone gunmen guilty of killing Kennedy (and Officer Tippit). Moreover, readers are not invited to consider the consequences of Kennedy’s killing in any area of policy other than Vietnam, where the authors leave a rather unsatisfying open verdict on whether or not he would have escalated US involvement.

However, when one remembers that this book is aimed at young readers, one can appreciate that they are likely to find it visually appealing and textually informative and it should, most importantly, inspire them to read more widely, filling in some of the gaps, or even challenging some of the assumptions, of the present volume.

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years there have been numerous assassination attempts on the President of the United States. According to Wikipedia, there have been more than 30 attempts on the president's life and four attempts were successful. Being from Dallas, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is still talked about to this day in our area, and everyone knows about President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre, but what about the other two presidents that were murdered in cold blood while in office, and what about the men that assassinated them?

Jessica Gunderson and Joe Tougas tackle this tough subject, wanting to "examine the lives of each killer and his victim," in Assassins' America.

Published by Capstone, this book targets children ages nine to fifteen, but is still informative for an older audience as well. It is extremely well written, well researched, and does not diminish the violent acts in which each presidents was assassinated, or the depiction of their killers. There are a few little facts that are left out but they are nothing that takes away from the validity of the each individual stories. The book is laid out in an easily readable format, which could be used for teaching as well as casual reading.

I was refreshed on my knowledge of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy, both their lives and their deaths, and learned a lot about Presidents Garfield and McKinley, who's lives and assassinations I knew very little about. What's heartbreaking is how public each assassination was. I cannot imagine what the spectators of these horrific acts experienced. I also found it extremely interesting that this book delved into the killers minds and circumstances during that time. Years later my heart still hurts for these presidents and my mind wonders how different America would be if any of them had lived to carry out their terms.

Assassins' America is currently only available for purchase through Capstone and is actually broken down into four individual volumes, each focusing on one president. I highly recommend this book for young adults as well as teachers and libraries. Wonderful resource!

*I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Capstone and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

[JoLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in "Historical Nonfiction for Young Readers" on Intellectual Recreation.

This book explores the stories behind the Untied States' four presidential assassinations. It begins with Abraham Lincoln and then continues with Andrew Garfield and then onto William McKinley and finally John F. Kennedy.

Assassins' America shows how the lives of these presidents and their killers came together. It also explores the possibilities of what might have happened had the president not died.

I really enjoyed this brief, but thorough, introduction to these national tragedies. I learned a lot about both the presidents and the assassins. We all know about the great deeds of Abraham Lincoln, but I also was impressed with the potential of Andrew Garfield who didn't live long enough to do much in office.

Review copy from NetGalley.

[Lynndell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for American history buffs! Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Assassin’s America: Four Killers, Four Murdered Presidents, and the Country They Left Behind by Jessica Gunderson & Joe Tougas. The true story is told in four parts, one for each president, describing the assassin and how our country may have been different without the assassination. A detailed report of each assassin and each president is followed by the description of the killing and the state of America and, finally, a timeline. I have read about the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy many times but never Garfield’s or McKinley’s. It saddens me to think the last two could have lived with better medical care. Very tragic. Informative and laid out in an interesting way, this book is a must for history buffs, 5 stars!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts This is an interesting read. There are sections on each president that are quick reads and give you some background into each one. But the sections also explain the assassination of each and why the author believes the assassinations happened.

I have been on a bit of a kick about real life and death of presidents and celebrities alike and I found this book very interesting. Especially the parts about Lincoln and Kennedy since we have heard so much about them already.

Interesting read for any history buff.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend it

[Hadron Haizlip Beers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Own
Good book

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written book. I knew a lot about the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations but not much about Garfield nor McKinley. The overarching hypothesis is that America would be a very different place today if even one of these would not have been killed. I feel cheated that we didn't learn more about Garfield and McKinley in history class -- not only in high school but as also as a history major in college. I was fascinated with these men's lives. The author also used a true storyteller approach instead of dry statement of facts which is often the case for history books. If I was a history teacher I would have students read this book. Another interesting approach to the book was looking at the assassins and how they were products of the times as well as untreated mental health issues. I had to laugh when reading about how during Garfield's administration politics were about trusts and positions were appointments to cronies instead of who was qualified for the position. It was all about lining pockets and getting rich instead of governing. Sounds like the modern political landscape in America....

[gillion · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY

For anyone who is interested in president assassinations, this is for you. I highly recommend having this book in the classroom in case any student is interested. It goes into detail about the assassin, the day of the assassination, and even what was going on at the time while the assassination occurred.