One event that I had only anecdotal information about was the near assassination of the president in March of that year.
My recollection of the incident was that a deranged gunman named John Hinckley attempted to take the president’s life that March 30, but Reagan emerged relatively unharmed; going on to two successful terms as president.
That information barely scratches the surface of the event, and does a terrible injustice to the horror and heroism of that day.
In “Rawhide Down”, author Del Quentin Wilber brings the day to life. He takes you on a page-turning journey from the moment the principals wake up in a world in the midst of the Cold War and economic “malaise”; you experience first-hand the Secret Service agents getting ready for the day; you attend Reagan’s speech to labor leaders at the Washington Hilton; and, of course, you can almost see and hear the entire terrifying and near fatal assassination attempt through the pages of the book.
I was mesmerized by the level of detail and investigative journalism that Wilber conducted. Whether it’s the hotel room where Hinckley manifests his insanity, the George Washington University Hospital ER where young first responders suddenly realize they’re giving triage to the first patient, or in the White House Situation Room where decisions on what and how much information to tell the American people about the assassination attempt, who is responsible, the president’s condition, the nation’s military alert status, and who exactly is “in charge” are being made, Wilber puts you right in the middle of the action.
It’s a breath-taking tale that is well-past time being told: America had no idea how close we came to losing our Commander-in-Chief.
Through it all, Wilber, a Washington Post journalist, weaves original dialogue and recollections from all the major players of the day, including White House staff, doctors and nurses, and, of course, the Secret Service and security detail. Not to mention his taking us on a disturbing visit into the mind of the assassin. Bob Woodward called Wilber’s reporting “spectacular.”
While giving meticulous attention to the history of the event, the book still reads like a novel. You will not be bored. But you will be transported back to 1981 where you will relive, or live for the first time, one of the most important moments in American history.
I whisked my way through this thrilling book in just two sittings. It is an adrenaline-pumping depiction of events that I just could not put it down. I’m convinced it’s a “must” read. It will surprise you what you learn.
I highly recommend for Father’s Day, or your summer reading, “Rawhide Down.” If you buy it today (before Father’s Day), you can get a signed copy from the author.
Don’t delay. 30 years ago we almost lost a president. Can you imagine the world without Ronald Reagan? Find out just how close we came.
