Countdown 1960 by Chris Wallace
Instant New York Times BestsellerThe riveting new book on the momentous year, campaign, and election that shaped American history
It's January 2, 1960: the day that Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy declared his candidacy; and with this opening scene, Chris Wallace offers readers a front-row seat to history. From the challenge of primary battles in a nation that had never elected a Catholic president, to the intense machinations of the national conventions--where JFK chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate over the impassioned objections of his brother Bobby--this is a nonfiction political thriller filled with intrigue, cinematic action, and fresh reporting. Like with many popular histories, readers may be familiar with the story, but few will know the behind-the-scenes details, told here with gripping effect.
Featuring some of history's most remarkable characters, page-turning action, and vivid details, Countdown 1960 follows a group of extraordinary politicians, civil rights leaders, Hollywood stars, labor bosses, and mobsters during a pivotal year in American history. The election of 1960 ushered in the modern era of presidential politics, with televised debates, private planes, and slick advertising. In fact, television played a massive role. More than 70 million Americans watched one or all four debates. The public turned to television to watch campaign rallies. And on the night of the election, the contest between Kennedy and Nixon was so close that Americans were glued to their televisions long after dawn to see who won.
The election of 1960 holds stunning parallels to our current political climate. There were--potentially valid--claims of voter fraud and a stolen election. There was also a presidential candidate faced with the decision of whether to contest the result or honor the peaceful transfer of power.
Ben Box One of the first assignments Ben Box took as a freelance writer in 1980 was subediting work on the South American Handbook. The plan then was to write about contemporary Iberian and Latin American affairs, but in no time at all the lands south of the Rio Grande took over, inspiring journeys to all corners of the subcontinent. Ben has contributed to newspapers, magazines and learned tomes, usually on the subject of travel, and became editor of the South American Handbook in 1989. He has also been involved in Footprint's Handbooks on Central America & Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Peru, Cuzco & the Inca Heartland, and Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Having a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese studies from London University, Ben maintains a strong interest in Latin American literature. In the British summer he plays cricket for his local village side and year round he attempts to achieve some level of self-sufficiency in fruit and veg in a rather unruly country garden in Suffolk. Chris Wallace Chris Wallace has been travelling through, and writing about, Central and South America since 2004. He has lived in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Peru. He has spent long weekends at family fincas in Antioquia, travelled along both ends of the Amazon river, failed at tango classes in Buenos Aires, and made frequent escapes to Valparaiso to receive the palliative benefits of coastal air and electric pink sunsets. He has tailored travel and tourism content for entrepreneurs and publishers alike, having covered events as grand and life affirming as Barranquilla's Carnival festival on some days while dealing with tragic history by writing about Argentina's Dirty War on others. More than 10 years in, he feels he's barely scratched the surface of what this continent has to offer.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780593852194 |
| ISBN 10 | 0593852192 |
| Title | Countdown 1960 |
| Author | Chris Wallace |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2024-10-08 |
| Number of pages | 448 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |