Rawhide Down

The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan

By: Del Quentin Wilber

Narrated by: Jason Culp

On March 30, 1981, President Reagan walked out of a hotel in Washington, D.C. and was shot by a would-be assassin. For years, few people knew the truth about how close the president came to dying, and no one has ever written a detailed narrative of that harrowing day. Now, drawing on exclusive new interviews, Del Quentin Wilber tells the electrifying story of a moment when the nation teetered on the brink of chaos.

With cinematic clarity, we see the Secret Service agent whose fast reflexes saved the president’s life; the brilliant surgeon who operated on Reagan as he was losing half his blood; and the small group of White House officials frantically trying to determine whether the country was under attack. Most especially, we encounter the man code-named Rawhide, a leader of uncommon grace who inspired affection and awe in everyone who worked with him.

Reagan was the only serving U.S. president to survive being shot in an assassination attempt. In Rawhide Down, the story of that perilous day--a day of chaos, crisis, prayer, heroism and hope--is brought to life as never before.

©2011 Del Quentin Wilber (P)2011 Audio Renaissance

Absolutely Reccomended. History that comes alive!

Would you consider the audio edition of Rawhide Down to be better than the print version?

This reads very much like a fiction novel, though it is 100% historical. Consider this an apolitical collection of information about the attempted assassination of President Reagan - written in a riveting way that - if you enjoy this 'genre' as much as I - will become a definite re-listen

Interesting Read

Very detailed review of the days surrounding the assassination attempt on Reagan. Very interesting to listen to from the insider POV. I wish they would have spent more time on the aftermath. It's covered in the Epilogue but it still leaves you wanting more.

An Interesting Look Back

This book does an excellent job of reviewing the attempted assassination of President Reagan from a historical point of view. The author adds details and context from the perspective of 30 years later. A few of the medical details are off, but not enough so to alter the story. The only drawback- the story isn't an objective look at Reagan. If all you know about the former president is what you learn from this book, you would think that Mr. Reagan and Nancy were perfect and never made a mis-step. I am supporter, and even I don't buy their wonderfulness in this book. When it comes to the assassination attempt though, Mr. Wilbur does a great job of documenting the roles of all involved and providing details that weren't common knowledge before.

Informative and Entertaining

Del Quentin Wilber spins quite a yarn with “Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan”. This is a detailed telling of the story and a page turner at that. Wilber has, in the process, done a great service to readers by revealing current information about the attack not readily available at the time. The chapters on the attack, the trip to the hospital, the surgeons’ work and surrounding circumstances is particularly exciting. The author, to me at least, seems to admire Reagan and some who did not care for him or his policies might be put off. However, if one will just read the story much can be learned. The reading of Jason Culp is very good.

Riveting story

This a very entertaining book about a very serious event in the history of the United States. Very well written and I couldn't stop listening.

Interesting

learned a great deal, I highly recommded a great book cor those who lived through that day.

Fast Paced and Exciting

The author pulls you in quickly and engages you in the second by second account of everything happening all at once.

my favorite book so far!

I really enjoyed how well written this was and how so many different peoples personal accounts were represented.

This is one of the top books I’ve read this year! Excellent!

Riveting
Suspenseful
Insightful
Revealing
Could be my favorite book read in 2022.
Also loved the audio of interviews provided at the end of the audiobook.

Adored this book from first word to the very last.

This is the story of the day that President Reagan was shot by a mentally ill young man who was trying to impress a young film star. It walks us through the whole day, taking us by the hand and walking us step by step, at the same time almost taking your breath away.
However this is not what was reported by the media at the time. If you were alive when it actually happened you will remember a completely different story. I seem to remember that it was highly sugar coated.
This is the true story backed up at the very end by the interviews with some of the people who were involved on that day which could have had s more horrendous outcome. Thankfully it did not.

This will go down as one of my top 50 favorite books of all time.