The pages of Colt Donaldson’s How to Kill a President? Open a window into the intricate interplay of power, survival, and legacy. In one particularly revealing part of the novel, Grandpop reflects on Samuel Colt’s assistance to Samuel Morse in developing underwater cables for the wire-line telegraph system. This small historical detail ignites his lifelong fascination with codes. From a child learning Morse code to an adult wielding the power of information, Grandpop exemplifies the ways knowledge transforms into leverage.
The story unfolds with Walter, Grandpop’s associate, quietly gathering intelligence by leafing through stacks of telegrams and rifling through desk drawers in New York City’s offices while workers stepped away. Information became the most valuable commodity, and with it came the ability to influence politics. Cousin George Gillespie’s rise within the United Progressive Democratic Club in Brooklyn, eventually becoming its president, further exemplifies the family’s strategy of embedding itself within the very institutions that governed society. This wasn’t about brute force or simple criminality—it was about creating a nationwide network of influence, blending political insight with military connections, to force the hands of the powerful when needed.
Donaldson highlights Tammany Hall as the epitome of political corruption, reminding readers of the immense danger tied to ambition. To hold someone’s political future in the palm of one’s hand was an advantage like no other—but it came with lethal risks. As Grandpop reflects, the higher one rises in power or wealth, the more likely it becomes that enemies will stop at nothing, even murder. Yet Grandpop, with his sharp instincts and cautious strategies, proves himself adept at navigating this perilous arena.
This glimpse into the Colt family’s ambitions adds richness to the novel’s broader themes. How to Kill a President? is not merely a political thriller; it is also a family saga that traces how legacy, ambition, and historical events shape generations. Donald, the protagonist, emerges as a complex figure—restless, disdainful of formal education, yet determined to live up to his family’s shadowed legacy in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. At the same time, the Vietnam War looms in the background, its brutality reshaping soldiers like Peter Colt while leaving psychological scars across America. Donaldson blends these personal and national struggles seamlessly, reminding readers that history is not just a collection of dates and wars but the lived experience of families caught in its current.
Donaldson’s vision is clear: he aims to tell a story where personal ambition and national politics collide, where family ties are tested against the harsh realities of war and corruption, and where survival depends as much on cleverness as on courage. His descriptive, introspective narrative style gives readers an intimate look at both the inner conflicts of his characters and the larger cultural shifts of the era. This is history reimagined, made human and immediate.
The legacy of the Colt family is one of ambition and danger. It reminds readers that while power may offer influence and security, it also demands sacrifice and vigilance. The fascination with codes that began with a child’s curiosity becomes a metaphor for the entire novel: survival lies in deciphering the hidden messages of society, in reading between the lines of politics and history. Donaldson’s narrative ensures that this story lingers, urging readers to reflect on the fragile balance between power and peril.
