Two Days In June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours that Made History

Description

This is a fly-on-the-wall story of 48 hours in the life of one of the most celebrated Americans of the 20th century. It draws on new, sensational material: 16 hours of uncut, unseen film shot in the Oval Office and the Justice Department. The story also brings to light the lost draft of the civil speech rights speech that JFK did not use that evening - even as he went on the air without complete text and spoke the last three minutes extemporaneously. In the rich Kennedy literature, Two Days In June is taut, atmospheric and wholly original.

ANDREW COHEN is an award-winning journalist and former Washington correspondent whom the New York Times has called "one of Canada's most distinguished authors." A native of Montreal, he attended Choate Rosemary Hall, McGill University, and the University of Cambridge. Among his bestselling books are The Unfinished Canadian- The People We Are; Trudeau's Shadow- The Life and Legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau (with J.L. Granatstein); Extraordinary Canadians- Lester B. Pearson; and While Canada Slept- How We Lost Our Place in the World, a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-fiction. He has written for United Press International, Time, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post, and The Financial Times of London from Washington, London, Berlin, Toronto, and Ottawa. He has won two National Newspaper Awards, three National Magazine Awards, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. A professor of journalism and international affairs at Carleton University, Cohen writes a nationally syndicated column for the Ottawa Citizen.

"He may have served for a thousand days but it was two days that made John F. Kennedy's presidency. No one before Andrew Cohen has recognized that, and because of his signal achievement in Two Days in June, no one will be able to write about-no one will be able to think about-John Kennedy ever again in quite the same way. Channeling Theodore White and William Manchester, Andrew Cohen has changed the way we regard JFK in Two Days as much as JFK changed the presidency and the world in those two days." -David M. Shribman, former editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, winner of the Pulitzer Prize "Andrew Cohen calls the two days during which President John F. Kennedy delivered ground-breaking speeches addressing the great post-war threats to America-racial inequality and nuclear war-'his lyrical journey to peace and freedom.' Cohen's own lyrical account of these days provides an intimate, moving, and revelatory portrait of Kennedy that is superbly detailed and thrillingly narrated." -Thurston Clarke, author of JFK's Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President "Using a literary zoom lens, Andrew Cohen zeroes in on forty-eight dramatic hours in John F. Kennedy's presidency to superbly illuminate his leadership in a compelling and original way. It is Kennedy up close and personal, making history with two of his most important speeches-one carefully planned, the other a brilliant improvisation. Two Days in June nimbly juggles fast-moving presidential challenges at home and abroad, with fascinating new details of the drama unfolding behind the scenes on Air Force One, in the Oval Office, in the private quarters of the White House, and in the most exclusive salon in Georgetown. . . . Cohen's analysis of the two speeches and their impact, and his assessment of their measure in JFK's presidency is astute and constitutes an entirely original perspective. His research has been prodigious. Even Kennedy devotees and experts will find new tidbits throughout, judiciously placed in the author's seamless and riveting narrative, which is beautifully written and weaves together the consequential and the quotidian, with verve and authority." -Sally Bedell Smith, author of Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House Praise for While Canada Slept: "A trenchant critique of modern Canadian foreign policy." -Time "Cohen's contribution is invaluable. A book full of . . . rich detail, written with passion and engaging prose. . . . A must read for all of those who wish to understand the roots of Canada's global outlook." -Globe and Mail