This image is the cover for the book 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon

1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon

1960 aims to take us deeper into the campaign than Theodore White’s famous The Making of the President, 1960. And it does.”—Chicago Sun-Times

This is award-winning historian David Pietrusza's hard-edged account of the 1960 presidential campaign, the election that ultimately gave America “Camelot” and its tragic aftermath. It is the story of the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries; the party conventions' backroom dealings; the unprecedented television debates; the hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy—and, at the center of it all, three future presidents: Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon.

“Terrific.” —Robert A. Caro, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and the National Book Award

“A stirring, hard-edged political saga… An outstanding reexamination.”—Booklist

"1960 provides new insights into that year's hard-fought, pivotal election, but, more than that, 1960 is great storytelling—a fascinating, can’t-put-it-down account of how American politics really works.”—former United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh

“Essential for understanding the political forces that in many ways shaped the world we live in today.” —David Mark, author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning

David Pietrusza

David Pietrusza’s books include 1920: The Year of Six Presidents; Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series; 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America's Role in the World; 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies; and 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR?Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny. Rothstein was a finalist for an Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, and 1920 was honored by Kirkus Reviews as among their "Books of the Year." Pietrusza has appeared on Good Morning America, Morning Joe, The Voice of America, The History Channel, ESPN, NPR, AMC, and C-SPAN. He has spoken at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the Harry S Truman library and Museum, and various universities and festivals. He lives in Scotia, New York. Visit davidpietrusza.com.

Diversion Books