Dec. 11, 2013: James Swanson on The End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

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December 11, 2013. 7:30pm. At the Goethe-Institut, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90036. Ample free street parking, as well as parking under the building with validation $1 after 6:00pm.

In the award-winning and bestselling book, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, James Swanson fuels one of the most tragic events in American history with heart stopping action and background detail to make it one of the most astonishing and thrilling historical accounts we’ve read. James Swanson knows how to turn history into a relentless thriller.

His new book, The End of Days, is a similarly sweeping and absorbing account of the assassination of President Kennedy. From the seamy universe inhabited by 23 year-old Lee Harvey Oswald and his dependant and abused 21 year-old wife, Marina, to the cataclysmic events at Dealey Plaza, Swanson’s account makes us feel as if we are witnesses to history. We feel as if we are standing alongside dress manufacturer Abraham Zapruder as he points and shoots his portable movie camera at the oncoming motorcade. The aftermath of the assassination takes us through Oswald’s absurd attempt at a getaway by public bus, Secret Service questioning, the shooting of Oswald by Jack Ruby, and so much more. Swanson brings to light details about Lee Harvey Oswald that even deepen the scope of the tragedy. As we approach the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, revisiting this chapter of American history, we need a guide who can tell the story with precision, details and integrity. Swanson is a most gifted writer of Presidential history.

But James Swanson will not be the only Presidential scholar in the room on December 11: Richard Reeves, award-winning journalist, is the author of President Kennedy: Profile of Power, considered to be an authoritative work on President Kennedy. He has written several other books, has collected shelves of awards, and is a font of information on news, presidents, and politics. He currently teaches at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.