donald james lawn

The Memoirs of John F. Kennedy: A Novel brings to life the tantalizing possibilities of “what might have been” had JFK remained president after November 22, 1963. This book imagines an America where progressive leadership takes hold during the 1960s, where President Kennedy, after a grueling fight for his life in a Dallas hospital, survives his chest wounds and returns to the presidency. He is elected for a second term. He does not mount a ground war in Vietnam. Foreign relations with Cuba, the Soviet Union, South America, and our allies and adversaries around the world follow a very different path. 

This novel interweaves two story lines. One takes place in 1963 at Parkland Medical Center and follows Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover as they cope with the explosive events of the assassination attempt while the wounded president hovers near death. The other more lighthearted story line unfolds through the eyes of Patrick Hennessey, the memoirist appointed by JFK during the approaching end of his second term in 1968. Through in-depth talks at the White House, Camp David, Hyannisport, on Air Force One, and golfing on Kennedy’s private course at Glen Ora, Patrick gets to know the president as JFK reviews his decisions regarding the difficult path toward a peaceful resolution of world crises. 

This well-researched alternate history will strike a chord with readers worldwide—those fascinated with the Kennedy mystique and those interested in the potential for politics to be “done right” during challenging times. Considering the current period—and the 50th anniversary of JFK’s election—re-imagining a more positive past may enable us to collectively envision a more enlightened future.

Awards
Nautilus Book Awards - Fiction, Silver Award 2012
The Written Arts Awards - General Fiction 1st Place 2010/2011
Independent Publisher Book Awards - Popular Fiction, Bronze 2011
International Book Awards - General Fiction, Finalist 2011