Rawhide Down

Starred review from March 7, 2011
Wilber's gripping minute-by-minute account of the day that president Reagan (codename Rawhide) was shot reveals the major players in the drama, including the president's doctors, his would-be assassin, Secret Service agents, White House staffers, Vice President George H.W. Bush, and Nancy Reagan. The first time author, a reporter for The Washington Post, writes with particular empathy for the stunned, shaken doctors and nurses who made a massive effort to overcome the challenges of locating the bullet, repairing the lung, and fighting debilitating blood loss as the 70-year-old president's life hung in the balance. Wilber explains what it's like to be in the Secret Service, the characteristics of the presidential limousine and its "foam bladder-style fuel tank that was designed to reduce the risk of an explosion," and the great urgency surrounding the attempted assassination: "they sped toward the FBI's field office, the agents knew there was only one way to find out quickly whether their suspect had acted alone. They would have to get him to crack." At the same time, advisors and staff engaged in power skirmishes and grandstanding. The author draws from a multitude of notes and sources, offering a fascinating glimpse of a pivotal moment in history. Photos.

WASHINGTON POST law enforcement and national security reporter Del Wilber discusses the March 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. The work details what happened and the actions of White House insiders, the FBI, and the Secret Service on that day. The reporting is presented with precision and authority by Jason Culp. For the most part, his reading has few vocal characterizations, but the brief direct quotes from Reagan are delivered spot-on. Culp's voice is easygoing and warm, and surprisingly, those characteristics are at their most gripping in the chapters that address the president's initial care at George Washington University Hospital. The book contains the results of new research, including excerpts from the author's interviews with nursing staff who attended Reagan minutes after the attempt on his life. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine