A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book for 2011 and a Richmond Times Dispatch Top Book for the same year, this account details the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, just seventy days into his presidency. John Hinckley Jr. opened fire outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, injuring Reagan, press secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a D.C. police officer. For years, the extent of the threat to Reagan's life remained largely unknown, and no comprehensive narrative of that day had been documented until now. Utilizing exclusive interviews and previously unseen documents, photos, and videos, Del Quentin Wilber presents a gripping story of a nation facing a crisis reminiscent of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy less than two decades earlier. The narrative highlights Secret Service agent Jerry Parr, whose quick actions saved Reagan, the skilled surgeons who operated on him as he lost half his blood, and the White House officials racing to assess the situation. Central to the story is the man code-named "Rawhide," a president whose leadership inspired admiration. This work serves as the first true account of a day that significantly influenced Reagan's presidency and his legacy in American politics.
