Assassination and Its Aftermath

Starred review from October 15, 2013
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* The latest titles in the excellent Captured History series once again view history through the lens of groundbreaking photographs. The cover of Assassination and Its Aftermath: How a Photograph Reassured a Shocked Nation features the iconic image of Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as the thirty-sixth president of the U.S. aboard Air Force One, just hours after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The photo was snapped by Cecil Stoughton; just earlier that day, November 22, 1963, he had photographed JFK and Jacqueline arriving at Love Field in Dallas. Chock-full of stirring images of JFK and Johnson, alongside a detailed text dovetailing their two stories, this captures a nation in flux. Interestingly, Stoughton worried his Hasselblad camera had malfunctionedluckily, the film documenting Johnson's oath was intact and the rest, as they say, is history. With a clean design and readable text, plus the vivid and haunting photos, the Captured History series makes events in the past feel immediate and palpableand what better way to get kids interested? Stellar back matter, too, including tips on how to apply Common Core standards.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)