Death of a President by William Raymond

¶ … Death of a President by William Raymond Manchester

This paper provides a review of The Death of a President by William Raymond Manchester. The writer of this paper presents the reader with an opinion about the writing as well as the ideas that the author portrays in the book. There was one source used to complete this paper.

THE TELLING OF A STORY WHILE IT IS STILL FRESH CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

One of the most compelling reasons to read The Death of a President by William Raymond Manchester, is that he wrote the book very soon after the events. The death of President John F. Kennedy rocked the nation to the core. It was televised because he was in a parade and waving to his constituents when it occurred and the world tilted sideways as the bullet hit his head. This book is an extremely detailed overview of the last six days of the president's life leading up to his death and the day of his death. Manchester uses over seven hundred pages to portray the hours and minutes that week.

It is the only book that was authorized by the Kennedy family and it was authorized several weeks following his death. This tells the reader that the family agrees with the accounting of the president's last few days, as told by Manchester. Manchester works to give a chronological outline of the events leading to that fateful day. In minute detail he explains what problems the president was working on as well as what his personal attitudes seemed to be those days. Manchester uses his political understanding, and his ability to write in laymen's terms, to bring the reader to that sunny day with a thorough understanding of the president's mindset.

Manchester included an incredible amount of research in the book that was drawn from many sources. This was a professionally wise choice as it lends credibility to his version of the facts. The story of Kennedy's death has so many theories, it was important that Manchester provide facts that could be researched by the reader and he did that.

One of the things that Manchester did, which nobody else could or will ever be able to do, is to talk to eyewitnesses very soon after the death occurred while it was still fresh in their minds. Because he spoke with them so soon after the shooting, he was able to extract details that have since been lost in the shuffle or blended with the horror of that day.