Official Review: Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse
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Official Review: Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse

4 out of 4 stars
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Subtitled: The Real-Life Adventures of the U.S. Secret Service Agent Who Tried to Change Tomorrow
Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse was a delightful read for so many reasons. The following are just a few:
An intriguing title
A fascinating subject
A compelling first chapter
Meticulous research
An intriguing title
The title sparked my interest immediately. It relates to a fascinating phenomenon involving U.S. presidents that motivated a young University of Maryland student and American history enthusiast to pursue a career in the Secret Service. This phenomenon is also the underlying theme throughout the book.
A fascinating subject
The book chronicled the accomplishments, disappointments, challenges and sacrifices in the career of U.S. Secret Service Agent Bob Ritter. The level of detail provided in this book about the life of a Secret Service Agent – from the rigorous training, to the day-to-day responsibilities, to the organizational culture, to the work-life balance - was exhaustive but never exhausting.
A compelling first chapter
Chapter one was told from the perspective of wife Jan Ritter as news reports came in about the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. The book then backtracks to the beginning of their relationship and ultimate marriage. Although the wife is the narrator throughout the story, she inserts her own thoughts and feelings sparingly. Those occasional disclosures were enough to establish her as a strong presence but never enough to overpower or change the thrust of the book. Also, narration from the wife’s perspective kept the book from being a cold, dispassionate recounting of facts and easily established rapport with me as a reader.
Meticulous research
The book progressed in a fairly chronological order after the first few chapters, backtracking only to provide some historical context. What I liked most about this book is that one didn’t have to be a history buff to enjoy it. It was never assumed that the reader is knowledgeable about certain historical events. Helpful explanations were included in parentheses in the body of the text so that the reader is quickly brought up to speed. Although I lived through many of the historical events mentioned in the book, I consistently found myself thinking, “Hmm, I didn’t know that.” And there was lots that I didn't know about assassination attempts on past presidents.
In addition to overcoming my historical knowledge deficit, another challenge for me was keeping track of all of the abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms that government agencies have such an affinity for. Thankfully, these were explained in parentheses - not just once - but numerous times. I’m convinced that my interest would have waned pretty quickly if I had to keep flipping back through the book, consulting footnotes and appendices or conducting Google searches.
Of the extremely minor glitches I found, one was on p. 315, par. 4 where the word “excepted” was used when I wondered if “accepted” was meant. Also, the word “aid” was used on several occasions when it seemed that “aide” might have been intended.
The latter half of this book took some surprising turns. Some never-before revealed information related to the assassination attempt on President Reagan was disturbing even though it eventually led to some positive changes regarding protective intelligence.
Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse a timely read in this post 9/11 era. Although the book ended on a somewhat bittersweet note, it was nice to be reminded that everyday heroes still exist who quietly and consistently give their all for no other reason than devotion to duty and love of what they do.
Based on the impeccable research, the wealth of information provided, and the Ritters' willingness to share some often uncomfortable memories, I am gladly giving Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse 4 out of 4 stars.
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Anyway, thank you for the lovely review and for pointing out both the positives and challenges of this book. Arigato gozaimashita.
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