Scan barcode
rchluther's review
5.0
This book is amazing. Yes I realize the title is strange, but Young breaks down the four assassinations and all of the attempts in a fun, informative way, easy for older kids to understand, but still chock-full of information. The illustrations are awesome, especially the ones done by the authors young daughter. Many of these attempts I had not heard of before, so it was very cool.
julie_ann_harper_1633's review
4.0
Fantastic illustrations that show, in very delicate detail, the assassinations on 4 of our former presidents. Very informative whilst being fun and enjoyable at the same time.
pocketvolcano's review
5.0
I bought this after hearing about it on a podcast a year ago and just now got around to it. This is a great read for children, it doesn't speak down to them but instead treats them as intelligent young people who are interested in parts of American history. Some might call it morbid, but it's natural for a child's curiosity to be piqued by some of the darker parts of history. This book gives each President who was the target of an assassin a small biography on their life, the motives behind each assassin, and the aftermath of their assault. The illustrations are sometimes hilarious, but always gorgeous. The author's child included their own illustration of each President, and a few of the assassination attempts. I'm an adult and learned a few things I didn't know about prior to reading this. If you have kids who show an interest in history, I would encourage you to purchase this for them. If you're an adult and have an interest in history I would also recommend it for you too. Very interesting, entertaining and informative.
elbowglitter's review
This book is glorious. It's a light, easy history of a dark subject.
And the assassination attempt on Andrew Jackson is a glorious one.
And the assassination attempt on Andrew Jackson is a glorious one.
alexcruse's review
5.0
I would have devoured this book as a kid. It's a tad morbid but fun and informational.
A kid-friendly book that reminded me of Sarah Vowell's "Assassination Vacation", this book walks you through the whys of not only the 4 successful presidential assassinations but many attempts and plots on the presidents throughout the years. It actually debunks some widely thought to be true facts, for example: Teddy Roosevelt wasn't shot during his speech in Milwaukee and then kept giving it; he was shot BEFORE he even left for the speech but because he wasn't coughing up blood he made his team take him to the speech so he could give it. I learned a lot I didn't already know and had a blast reading this.
A kid-friendly book that reminded me of Sarah Vowell's "Assassination Vacation", this book walks you through the whys of not only the 4 successful presidential assassinations but many attempts and plots on the presidents throughout the years. It actually debunks some widely thought to be true facts, for example: Teddy Roosevelt wasn't shot during his speech in Milwaukee and then kept giving it; he was shot BEFORE he even left for the speech but because he wasn't coughing up blood he made his team take him to the speech so he could give it. I learned a lot I didn't already know and had a blast reading this.
kalira's review
dark
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I borrowed this from the library as a curiosity after I heard about it, and was really impressed. I learned a lot about American history (and some of our presidents) that I had never heard before, even after taking American History and US Government in high school. Not all of the things I learned about our presidents and our history was great to read, but then, neither history nor politics are always pleasant.
It was interesting and easy to read, with enough background information on everything that there was no need to look anything up for context as I read. (It also was neither too . . . gory, or anything - I'd've been happy to read it to my niece, say - nor too condescending or simplified on the excuse of it being 'for children'.)
The bulk of the book, divided up by presidents, was followed by a brief history of the Secret Service (I'd certainly never heard the story of how they came about and evolved to take on their current duties) and a short fictional piece about a schoolboy that was quite amusing and fit in nicely with the book's topic.
It was interesting and easy to read, with enough background information on everything that there was no need to look anything up for context as I read. (It also was neither too . . . gory, or anything - I'd've been happy to read it to my niece, say - nor too condescending or simplified on the excuse of it being 'for children'.)
The bulk of the book, divided up by presidents, was followed by a brief history of the Secret Service (I'd certainly never heard the story of how they came about and evolved to take on their current duties) and a short fictional piece about a schoolboy that was quite amusing and fit in nicely with the book's topic.
More...