In the Line of Fire - Hardcover

The grim but compelling details surrounding the four successful and seven unsuccessful assassination attempts on the lives of American presidents are the focus of St. George's (Sacagawea) latest offering. Four chapters focus on the deaths of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy, with the most attention paid to suspenseful reenactments of their assassinations and death scenes, including information on the assassins, the vice-presidents who were thrust into the country's highest office and an analysis of the effects of each president's death on the country. Historical engravings illustrate the fatal encounters of the first three presidents, with photographs and illustrations of funeral scenes providing the somber note in McKinley's and Kennedy's chapters. While St. George never sensationalizes the deaths, the dramatic way in which she relates the events at times undercuts the gravity of the fact that actual human lives were lost (Kennedy's chapter retains the greatest immediacy). Perhaps most interesting of all is the fifth and final chapter, which includes brief sketches of botched or foiled assassination attempts against Andrew Jackson (whose assassin believed himself to be King Richard III of England), Theodore Roosevelt (who, rather than going to the hospital after being shot, gave a stump speech) and five other presidents. Since readers may be less familiar with these accounts, this last chapter will likely prove to be the most involving and revealing. Ages 10-up. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 5 Up-An informative and readable account. The first of the two main sections concerns the four slain U.S. presidents as well as their respective assassins, and also discusses the effects of these fatal events on the country. Each chapter preface relays the day's events preceding the murder in a dramatic fashion. The second half concerns the assassination attempts on six presidents and their would-be assassins. St. George includes intriguing anecdotes such as the fact that Theodore Roosevelt's 50-page speech, folded into quarters and placed in his front pocket, lessened the bullet's impact and, consequently, saved his life. At times, the book reads like a People magazine article and sometimes lacks objectivity. For example, the author attributes the country's recovery after Kennedy's death solely to Mrs. Kennedy's "courage and grace." Furthermore, St. George gives credence to superstition by noting that Reagan is the first president elected in a year ending in zero to survive his term in office. Still, the facts presented are indisputable, and the author does not shy away from controversy as she includes the findings of the 1977 House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations, which stated that Kennedy "was probably killed as a result of a conspiracy." Nicely placed illustrations and photos add power to the text.
Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.