As recorded by history, on the 5th of June 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel, contributing to one of the grimmest years in modern American history.
But what if he actually survived the attempt?
On to Chicago: Rediscovering Robert F. Kennedy and the Lost Campaign of 1968 is an Alternate History book that sees Robert pick up his campaign after some time spent in the hospital. However, it should be noted that 1968 was a very crowded year in terms of candidates, and it is going to be very difficult for him to get the Presidential nomination that he wants...
The book was released in 2018. A companion book, The Notes: A Researcher's Guide to 'On to Chicago' and the 1968 Presidential Campaign, was released several years after in 2021.
Tropes in this novel:
- Allohistorical Allusion:
- Someone still dies at the Ambassador Hotel on the 5th of June 1968, only this time it was Chris Evans rather than Robert Kennedy who died.
- A Kennedy still drives a car into a lake at Chappaquiddick island and leaves Mary Jo Kopechne to her death alright... only it wasn't Ted this time, but Robert who did the deed.
- Alternate History: Diverges from our timeline on the 5th of June 1968 when Robert Kennedy survives his assassination rather than dies as in our timeline. As events prove, however, this divergence will prove to be temporary.
- Fictionalized Death Account: In our timeline, Robert Kennedy was killed from a gunshot to the head in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel. Here, he survives the assassination, instead dying in 1970 from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a bullet fragment from said attempt putting pressure on a cranial artery.
- Headache of Doom: After his assassination attempt, Robert is left with recurring migraines that increase in intensity over time. It's eventually revealed that the migraines came from a bullet fragment left in his head pressing against a cranial artery, which eventually ruptures and leads to his early death.
- Heroic BSoD: Robert after his failed bid at the 1968 election is in a pretty bad place - his wife is refusing to speak to him after allegations of an affair between him and Jackie leak, Jackie herself has left the country to be with Aristotle Onassis, he's finding Senate work to be extremely dull, and his migraines are becoming crippling for him. It all culminates on that fateful night at Chappaquiddick island when he accidentally kills Mary Jo Kopechne.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Unlike our timeline, Ted isn't responsible for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick island, the real person being responsible being Robert. He even takes the heat for him knowing that Robert would probably do the same for him.
- In Spite of a Nail: In spite of RFK initially surviving his assassination attempt, ultimately history ends up the exact same way: He still dies young, Richard Nixon still becomes President, Chappaquiddick still happens, and all that occurred after still happened the same way. The author notes this at the end, acknowledging that although the arc of history was altered, the obstruction of fate had proved to be temporary.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: A non-lethal variant, but Robert is only able to call out "Ethe—" before he is shot in the head.
- Shown Their Work: The author has gone on record as saying that he did a lot of research for the book to ensure that it is as accurate as possible, enough that the endnotes couldn't be included as that would make the book a Doorstopper. Instead, he has put them into a companion book and a PDF file that can be downloaded here
. - Small Role, Big Impact: The woman who asks where Ethel is at the Ambassador Hotel doesn't even get a name or feature anywhere else in the novel, but if she hadn't called out at that moment, Robert Kennedy would have been killed.
- Taking the Heat: Unlike in our timeline, the fateful Kennedy who drove their car into a lake at Chappaquiddick island was Robert. However, Ted Kennedy takes the blame and claims it was him to save the reputation of his older brother.
- Time-Delayed Death: After Robert is shot in the head, the doctors decide to leave the fragments generated from the wound on his head, figuring that they weren't severe enough to be operated on. Unfortunately, one of them was pressing against one of his cranial arteries, leading to his death from a cerebral hemorrhage exactly 2 years after his assassination attempt.
- Tuckerisation: Some of the fictional characters are confirmed by the author at the end to be based on some of his close relatives and friends. For instance, Trudy Kruse, the Republican nurse who treats Robert, is based off of the author's mother-in-law of the same name.
