Three Shots Rang Out: The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later

By: Darren Reynolds

Narrated by: Diane Sawyer

Length: 2 hrs

Publisher's summary

This edition of Three Shots Rang Out: The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later is an audio-only ABC News special created exclusively for Audible and hosted by ABC World News Anchor Diane Sawyer. Sawyer takes listeners back to Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, for a “you are there” exploration of the day of U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Key moments include:

• The very first reports of the assassination of President Kennedy.
• Eyewitness accounts from that day in history and their reflections 50 years later.
• Highlights from key newsmakers of the day.
• Go inside the ABC News Radio newsroom as anchors sift through incoming bulletins on the shooting of President Kennedy.
• Hear from Gayle Newman, the woman who was nearest to the president’s limousine when he was shot; Aubrey Reich and Dennis McGuire, two young paramedics who found themselves in the middle of history; and Gladys Johnson who rented the room where Lee Harvey Oswald was staying that day he when he left for work at the Texas School Book Depository.
• Hear expanded interviews with Dr. Ronald Jones, who was bedside for both President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald; and Pierce Allman, a reporter who happened to run into Oswald as he was asking for instructions to the nearest phone.
• Plus, expanded coverage of President Kennedy’s funeral, and a look at the controversies surrounding the Kennedy assassination with political historian Larry Sabato.

These real time audio reports, eyewitness recollections from 1963, and new analysis make for a powerful experience of this fateful day in recent history.

©2013 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc (P)2013 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc

Informative

I liked it a lot. It was very much for me and I don't think that I have a great way for a few weeks of a sudden it was the best!

A Fanstic Review of History

This was just a superb and amazing examination of the JFK assassination. Growing up after JFK was assassinated I never had the same sense of shock that people who lived through it did. It was their 9/11 and this documentary really brought it to life for me. In fact, I got a little teary eyed at some points listening to it. I can't recommend listening to this enough.

So so

What did you like best about Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later? What did you like least?

Free.

Did Diane Sawyer do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I don't think it is her fault, I just can't picture her voice as anyone else.

A Fresh Approach

What made the experience of listening to Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later the most enjoyable?

This ABC special doesn't dive into the conspiracy theories or political agendas - they stick with first hand accounts and information.

What did you like best about this story?

The radio clips and interviews from the day of the assassination and following weeks make this story unlike anything I've ever heard. The different interviews from the hospital to Oswald's landlord are unexpected, but incredibly interesting.

What about Diane Sawyer’s performance did you like?

Clear and informative.

Any additional comments?

As a millennial, I have no first hand experience of life 50 years ago. My parents were babies in 1963. Unfortunately, my knowledge is gained through books and movies because our history teachers did such a poor job. I am greatly appreciative of information like this that give a first hand account as if I were there all those years ago.

What a great listen! Hear history as it happened!

Would you listen to Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later again? Why?

This is the definitive audio history of the Kennedy assassination as it happened, with gripping material from the ABC archives, along with powerful interviews with an ER doctor who attended to the president and a radio reporter who saw Oswald at the scene of the crime. You won't be able to find this stuff anywhere else. I intend to keep this recording for years to come.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Some of this stuff exists on youtube, but far more original ABC Radio material is here in full context. It is a treasure trove for Kennedy history buffs, more powerful to listen to than to watch.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The interview with the ER doctor was particularly gripping. Don't miss it.

Nice Recap

This was a very short recap of what happened on that dreadful day. I loved the original footage of the news agencies they incorporated into the recap. Definitely worth the time to listen too.

Welcome to Audible Diane Sawyer!!!

Where does Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in a class all of it's own because I'm not used to having a News Special. I love abc and Diane Sawyer so I would definitely purchase any future performances by her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

JFK & Jackie. They were so REAL. Not like these characters we get on Washington Hill now days!

Which character – as performed by Diane Sawyer – was your favorite?

herself, for real!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the anchor who covered JFK's funeral, as the 21-gun-salute was being carried out he commented about the sound echoing off the same hills that witnessed his fore-fathers being buried here before him...it was such a fitting tribute! Very moving!

Any additional comments?

Please have Diane Sawyer back for more Audible exclusives! She is an amazing woman and reports with such passion! She could do a report on the alphabet and move me to tears!

Oral History of the Assassination that Changed Us

If you could sum up Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating oral history

What was one of the most memorable moments of Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later?

Listening to all the people involved in major and minor roles in the event that was probably the seminal event of my teenage years was very interesting. Some of the people are still alive 50 years later as they were relatively young when JFK died. The testimony of the ER surgeon who inserted the catheter and then realized the president was not going to make it based upon the head wound was so heart wrenching...

What about Diane Sawyer’s performance did you like?

Ms Sawyer did her usual polished and professional narration -- no disappointments here.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Listening to the reactions then and now of the men and women on the street was valuable. The comments from Oswald's landlady, where she sounded as though she admired him more than she was upset by the death of the president, was interesting -- a reminder that not everyone seemed devastated by the assassination.

Any additional comments?

Just an excellent oral history -- thank you, Audible, for giving this to us for free.

Very good documentary.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would- especially if they wanted to learn more about the JFK assassination.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The first person interviews.

Have you listened to any of Diane Sawyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you could give Free: Three Shots Rang Out - The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later a new subtitle, what would it be?

I think the title is good the way it is now.

Brief look at 50 years in the past

A brief ABC news special on the day Kennedy died and the promise he represented was silenced. The news bites and interviews bring the tragic day to life 50 years later.