Forever Frozen In Time

November 17, 2010

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. My parents often speak of the assassination around this time of year, and it’s very emotional for my entire family. When I ran across the book, Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation by Ellen F. Fitzpatrick, I knew this was a book I had to read.

Did you know that within seven weeks of the President's death, Kennedy’s widow, Jacqueline, received more than 800,000 condolence letters, and the number eventually exceeded 1.5 million letters? For the next forty-six years, the letters remained essentially untouched.

Historian, Ellen Fitzpatrick, selected approximately 250 of these letters for inclusion in Letters to Jackie. These letters capture what John F. Kennedy meant to the country, and how his death impacted American history. The author allows Americans to write their own history of these tumultuous times. In reflecting on their sense of loss, their fears, and their striving, the authors of these letters wrote an American elegy as poignant and as compelling as their shattered and cherished dreams.

Tracy M.
Liberty Branch