JFK Escapes Assassination, First Lady is OK Also! 11-22-63

[SaveAmerica]

I was rummaging through books at the store and saw the Stephen King novel 11-22-63. When I turned the front page and saw the newsprint on the inside that goes with the storyline I lost it in the middle of the store. I know it wasn't real, but it really hit me when I saw it; what if? What if we had been able to stop the madness on that day? Or the day Rev. Martin Luther King was killed, or the day the airplanes slammed into the Twin Towers?

I've never heard of this novel but it hit me hard; I think Mr. King might have gone into my head and seen my wishful thinking, wanting to urge the world to be a better place kind of thoughts.

This is going to be the first King novel I read.

[SaveAmerica]

1. Still the newsprint is tearing me up!! There's a long line of 'What ifs' in that one headline!

Think of the dominoes if JFK had lived.

[lib2DaBone]

2. 911 would never happen if JFK was alive.....

The War On Terror would never happen and the TSA would not exist.....

[former-republican]

14. I disagree , we still would have meddled in other countries affairs.

Bay of Pigs ring a bell

Also The Soviet Union would still have invaded Afghanistan , North Korea would still exist.
Israel would still be in a war with it's neighbors.

list goes on.......

And we would be in the middle of it.
We can't help it.

[baldguy]

16. It would not have happened *the same way* - it would have been different.

[RagAss]

3. I really enjoyed this book.

I never read King before, but from what others have told me this book is unlike anything he has ever written. I was unable to put this book down !

[graham4anything]

4. Let's talk more about the book when you finish it-no spoilers folks

remember to start a new thread when you finish please.

that's all i will say for now.

[SaveAmerica]

7. Yes, I will.

[graham4anything]

5. if one can imagine though, without those few bullets

President Kennedy 1960-1968
President Johnson 1969-1976
President Martin Luther King 1977-1984
President Bobby Kennedy 1985-1992
President Teddy Kennedy 1993-2000
President John F. Kennedy Jr. 2001-2008
President Barack Obama 2009-2016
President Hillary Clinton 2017-2024
President Julian Castro 2025-2032

[nmbluesky]

13. Wow, you left bill Clinton out

[graham4anything]

15. edited list of Presidents 1960-2040

Who would I have taken out to put Bill Clinton in???
how about...if I replaced JFK Jr. with Bill.
(then JFK Jr. would have been nominated to the US Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 2002)

President Kennedy 1960-1968
President L.B.Johnson 1969-1976
President Martin Luther King 1977-1984
President Bobby Kennedy 1985-1992
President Teddy Kennedy 1993-2000
President Bill Clinton 2001-2008 who elevates Obama to the US Supreme Court
President Barack Obama 2009-2016
President Hillary Clinton 2017-2024 President Michelle Obama 2025-2032
President Julian Castro(after many glorious terms as Gov. of Texas,then Senator) 2033-2040

[yellowcanine]

19. LBJ died from a massive heart attack in 1973. This would have happened regardless of what else

happened. So any alternative history would have to take that into account. It is also not clear that LBJ would have been elected President in 1968. Hubert Humphrey would have likely given him a good run for the nomination.

[Nye Bevan]

6. I read it on my Kindle when it was published.

Excellent book, very hard to put down.

[hfojvt]

9. there was an episode of the New Twilight Zone

this future historian who was distantly related to Kennedy comes back in time to study the pre-assassination days. Except while he is watching the parade about ten seconds before the shot he suddenly rushes the car and shouts "Mr. President, get down, get down!" And Kennedy is unhurt, even as the shots ring out.

But then quickly these huge tornadoes spring up and there is news that Khrushchev was assassinated.

It turns out that saving Kennedy has warped the space time continuum in unexpected and bad ways.

So the guy has to go back in time again and allow the assassination of Kennedy to happen.

Only he decided to take the place of JFK and the episode closes with JFK giving a lecture in the future, lauding the heroism of that future agent and saying "this too, is human".

[SaveAmerica]

21. This gave me chills, plus at the same store I considered buying a box set of Twilight Zone

I haven't seen this episode so I'll look for it online. I don't buy many DVDs but think Twilight Zone is so in touch with so much it's something that is a 'have to have'!

[hfojvt]

22. it was the Twighlight Zone from the 90s though

not the original.

I didn't think the 90s series was as good as the original, but there were some good episodes. That one stands out in my memory and they also did Zelazny's "Last defender of Camelot" as an episode.

[ColumbusLib]

10. Good book

My husband and I really enjoyed this book this summer. Interesting conceit and story, new way to look at the event.

[NBachers]

11. It's still too painful . . . I see the maelstrom of political atrocities that have occurred since

then . . . that continue to occur . . . will we ever be free of these republican bastards? Will they still be wreaking their demonic barbarity when I pass from this life?

[slutticus]

12. Great freakin' book.

[CBGLuthier]

17. I read it a few weeks ago. Not bad.

Surprising how well he can sustain a first person narrative across such a lengthy book.

[MinM]

18. Interesting who Stephen King credits for their "useful source-materials" :

***
As a work of fiction it's probably harmless enough ...

Historically? Not so much. Given King's reliance on the likes of admitted plagiarist Gerald Posner. Along with James Jesus Angleton protégé Edward Jay Epstein.

***

http://www.rigorousintuition.ca/board2/viewtopic.php?p=460122#p460122

Hat tip to IanEye @ RI for the review.

Read more @ The Education Forum

[SaveAmerica]

20. I suddenly have a sense that Stephen King has to have a DU account!

[MinM]

24. Hope so...

I would like to hear his rationale for relying on some of those dubious sources.

[GeorgeGist]

23. Pretty fun read.