I had no idea a book like this existed until I stumbled across it in a used bookstore. What a treasure trove it is! There is a lot of hearsay about John F. Kennedy’s assassination (and I am admittedly someone who is willing to listen to all of it), but this is not one of those books. Instead of discussing what did or did not happen, it is a collection of letters from the mourning citizens of America. It’s raw and unfiltered, written by people from every walk of life. 

 

The range of emotion expressed in these letters was both fascinating and devestating. Being the 1960s, all citizens were not treated equally. Some of these letters express these struggles, applauding President Kennedy for his efforts and vision for the future. There were letters from children, from people in their 90s, from people in the service to people on welfare, from Democrats to Republicans… What struck me the most was how many people told of people having heart attacks (most of them fatal) upon the news. The fact that I lost count is a frightening realization of the universal impact of this tragic moment in history. 

 

No matter what a person thinks about the logistics of the assassination, this collection of a nation’s grief cannot be altered by the ‘whodunit’ question. Aside from learning about how America received and grieved John F. Kennedy as president, it’s also a great look at the cultural and class differences of that time in America. Seeing the diversity of letter writers side by side painted an authentic image that could never be replicated by any other form of media.