The hours following JFK's assassination were a time of confusion, sadness, and fear, which Gillon (resident historian, History Channel) vividly describes in this companion book to a History Channel documentary airing this month. The author relies on both standard secondary sources and newly declassified documents to show that the Johnson era, with its Great Society triumphs and Vietnam failure, mirrored LBJ's combination of actions on that first harrowing day. Gillon credits LBJ for his calming leadership demonstrated through skilled use of television and for his sympathetic kindness toward the now-widowed Jacqueline Kennedy, but he also shows how Johnson's self-destructive insecurity, inflamed by Robert Kennedy's contempt for him, also manifested itself. Included is an intriguing discussion of the vulnerability of the United States during the 40 minutes between JFK's death and Johnson's learning of it. VERDICT This fast-paced book will appeal to general readers and historians who will likely have different opinions about how the first day following JFK's death set the course for the Johnson years. See Max Holland's The Kennedy Assassination Tapes for first-person transcripts of much of what's covered here.—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Randall B. Woods, author of LBJ: Architect of American Ambition
“Steve Gillon has provided a riveting account of the crucial period immediately following JFK's dramatic assassination. It is you-are-there history at its best as Lyndon Johnson, thrust unexpectedly into the most powerful office in the world, struggled to prevent the killing of a president from precipitating World War II and splintering the nation along ideological and racial lines.”
James T. Patterson, Ford Foundation Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University and author of Brown v. Board of Education
“Few relationships in recent American political history have been icier than those between the Kennedy clan and Lyndon Johnson. This beautifully written and deeply researched book on JFK's assassination and LBJ's first 24 hours as president goes far toward explaining why.”
The Dallas Morning News
“You can almost hear the clock ticking away in this intriguing look at the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. University of Oklahoma professor Steven M. Gillon lays out a tale filled with powerful characters, intrigue, long-held hatreds and calculated lies in the hours following President John F. Kennedy’s Death…. [A] compelling retelling of this great American tragedy.”
Bruce Schulman, Professor of History, Boston University
“With shrewd judgment and riveting detail, Gillon reconstructs Lyndon Johnson’s chaotic and consequential first twenty-four hours as president. At last, we have a book that asks the right questions about the Kennedy assassination—and one that answers them in a gripping, wholly fair-minded narrative.”
Randy Roberts, Distinguished Professor of History, Purdue University
“The Kennedy Assassination—24 Hours After reads like an American Macbeth—a tale of blood, fierce loyalty, and consuming ambition. From Dealy Plaza to Parkland Hospital, aboard Air Force One and to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., Gillon’s narrative never falters as he dissects the death of one dream and the birth of another.”
Laura Kalman, Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Steven Gillon's utterly engrossing book enables us to walk in Lyndon Johnson's footsteps on one of the most pivotal days in the nation's history. Bravo!”
Library Journal
“The hours following JFK’s assassination were a time of confusion, sadness, and fear, which Gillon vividly describes…. [Gillon] show[s] that the Johnson era, with its Great Society triumphs and Vietnam failure, mirrored LBJ’s combination of actions on that first harrowing day…. Included is an intriguing discussion of the vulnerability of the United States during the 40 minutes between JFK’s death and Johnson’s hearing of it.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Gillon sheds light on Johnson’s calming leadership and insecurities in the hours after Kennedy’s death.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“[N]ew sources enhance…the history of the aftermath.”
Jeff Shesol, author of Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade
"Steve Gillon expertly guides us through the cloud of confusion, grief, rage, and stark terror that followed the shots in Dallas. He immerses us in the moment, rendering events in real time and remarkable detail. As Gillon makes clear, these 24 hours cast a long shadow from which Lyndon Johnson never emerged."
