Ranch Librarian Reads: Jack 1939

Jack 1939 by Francine Mathews

When my grandpa stopped by over the Fourth of July weekend, he brought sack of books with him. This is not an unusual circumstance; my grandpa is a voracious reader and loves to collect good stories to read. As he was showing me his collection of books, I noticed one titled Jack 1939, written by Francine Mathews.

When I asked about the book, he said he'd picked it up out a bargain bin at the second hand bookstore. I read the jacket flap and mused aloud that the book looked interesting. Grandpa handed the book to me and said, "You keep that and read it. I'll get it back when I come to visit in August."

With a deadline looming, I spent some time reading this awesome historical fiction novel in the past few weeks. I've done more and more reading about the life of former president John F. Kennedy in the past year or so. I think that interest was triggered by reading Stephen King's 11.22.63, which I found fascinating.

Mathews' novel is about JFK before he's JFK. Before the second Kennedy son's political star rose in the United States, he was just the sickly, slightly black-sheepish son of businessman and politician Joseph Kennedy. And, according to Mathew's imaginative novel, Jack's summer of 1939 was spent as a quasi-spy for President Roosevelt. Of course, this is a work of fiction, so the spying aspect isn't true, but JFK really did spend the summer of 1939 touring around a very unstable and war-threatened Europe.

I found this novel engaging and interesting for a few reasons: first, Mathews writes a very compelling thriller. There are guns, chases, fist-fights, murder, and even a steamy romance, all of which swirl together to create page-turning intrigue. Second, I loved the idea of spending time reading a story about Jack long before he was a war hero or JFK or the president married to the glamorous Jackie.

Mostly, though, I think I enjoyed this novel because I love historical fiction that imagines what might have happened in the cracks or holes of history. Mathews makes it clear in her author's note that her novel is a work of fiction, but it's enchanting to daydream about the possibilities.

As a side note, I would highly recommend the novel I mentioned earlier, King's 11.22.63. If you have any interest in historical fiction, time travel, or the JFK assassination, it is absolutely the novel for you. AND...Hulu made the novel into a series in 2015, starring James Franco. I think mini-series are the way to go when someone tackles adapting a novel, and Hulu did a phenomenal job producing 11.22.63.