Umbrella Man and Other Stories

MartinFitzgerald is an authorand screenwriter from London. His first book, Ruth and Martin's Album Club(2017), was a collection of essays on classic albums followed by reviews fromcelebrities hearing them for the first time. It featured contributions fromRichard Osman, Ian Rankin, Bonnie Greer and many more.During lockdownin 2020 he wrote his first screenplay, Campbeltown '69, which focuses onPaul and Linda McCartney during the break-up of the Beatles. It's currently inpre-production.His particularinterest is taking well-worn stories, approaching them from a new angle andfinding the comedy and absurdity within them.

“Brilliant, moving and attimes funny, this original book reaches far beyond JFK and his tragic death.It’s about history and the way we remember things. Once I started reading, Icouldn’t stop.” – Daniel Finkelstein, columnist at The Times“Smart, restrained andrefreshingly honest, this book transforms one of the most mythologised momentsin modern history into a mediation on memory, chance and the burden of thestories people carry. Whether you think you know everything about the JFK assassinationor nothing at all, I can’t recommend it enough.” – Al Murray, comedian andco-host of We Have Ways of Making You Talk“A fascinating andinformative look at the most famous assassination of all time, from freshangles and new grassy knolls. I love it.” – David Quantick, EmmyAward-winning screenwriter, novelist and critic“Brilliantly conceived!An anti-whodunnit that turns this case inside and out.” – Chris Chibnall,Sunday Times bestselling author of Death at the White Hart, BAFTA-winningscreenwriter and creator of Broadchurch“I have given over 1,000interviews and trust me, no one thinks about this subject like MartinFitzgerald.” – Dr Toni Glover, JFK assassination witness“The shots that rang outin Dallas on 22 November 1963 didn’t only echo around the world and down theyears, they also left behind a slain President, a traumatised First Lady andcountless others whose lives had become for ever entangled in that moment ofhistory. Those others are Fitzgerald’s subject and their stories make his bookan original and enthralling contribution. In a crowded field, it stands abovethe rest.” – Peter J. Ling, author of John F. Kennedy and Emeritus Professorof American Studies at the University of Nottingham“The JFK assassination –we all know about it. Or do we? In this brilliant book, Martin Fitzgeraldexplains that things are not what they seem. He is our tour guide to a specialchapter of history, which begins on that fateful day in Dallas, weaves throughthe present and ends in the future. Fitzgerald guides with a voice that rangesfrom raconteur to cultural critic to expert historian. He’s interviewedwitnesses and studied all the famed conspiracy theories, and he expertlyexplains the intricacies in an eminently readable narrative. Anything you needto know about the JFK assassination and our memory of it, you’ll find inFitzgerald’s superb book.” – Gautham Rao, Associate Professor of History atAmerican University“The Umbrella Man andOther Stories brings wit, warmth and perspective to one of the moststudied events of the last 100 years, reminding us that history’s most famousmoments are often experienced by ordinary individuals who never asked to bepart of them. This is a valuable and refreshing contribution to the JFKassassination literature – thoughtful, humane and unexpectedly disarming.” –Ian Sanders, host of the award-winning Cold War Conversations podcast“I’ve been a fan ofMartin’s writing for a long time now, and here he brings his customary wit,insight and pathos to a fascinating subject. This isn’t a conspiracy compendiumbut a captivating examination of time, circumstance and human nature.” – J.Willgoose, Esq., Public Service Broadcasting“Whether you thought youknew all there was to know about the JFK assassination or never knew how muchthere was to know about it, you will love this book. Fitzgerald uses one momentin Dealey Plaza to bring together diverse strands of American history, politicsand culture. From the use of umbrellas to protest Kennedy’s apparent‘appeasement’ of communism to the Queen Mother accosting Larry Hagman at RoyalAscot to get the inside scoop on who shot J. R. Ewing, this book masterfullyanalyses the context of the Kennedy assassination and reveals its multifacetedand complex legacy.” – David Swift, historian and author of Scouse Republic“Fitzgerald's fast-paced,fact-packed and frequently funny guide to JFK assassination lore sortsconspiracy from coincidence and does for the grassy knoll what CraigBrown’s One Two Three Four did for The Beatles.” – NewWorld“Fitzgerald unearths ahost of incredible stories, some so peculiar they must surely be fiction? Whoknows! The important thing is that they’re fascinating to chew on, whether youhave spent your life obsessing over these events or have decided to take a lookfor the first time.” – Robin Ince, comedian, actor and writer“My favourite book of theyear.” – Richard Herring