The President Has Been Shot!: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

“The President Has Been Shot!”: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (2013) is a non-fiction history book by James L. Swanson, written for a teen readership. The book covers the presidency of John F. Kennedy, his assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas during November 1963, and how the assassination impacted the country through mass media. The book was a finalist for the YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction award. Other works by Swanson include Manhunt: The Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer (2006), Chasing Lincoln’s Killer (2009), and Chasing King’s Killer (2018).

This guide uses the 2013 Scholastic Press edition.

Content Warning: The source text includes graphic descriptions of a historical assassination and of political violence.

Summary

John F. Kennedy came from a wealthy New England family. Since the Kennedys were Catholic while most of their neighbors were Protestant, they were looked down upon by the "snobbish New England elite" (1). After the death of his older brother, Kennedy was encouraged by his father to enter politics. After serving as a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Kennedy ran for the presidency for the

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