WINNER OF THE 2024 GRATEFUL AMERICAN BOOK PRIZE FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTIONRay Elias is a precocious but withdrawn sixteenyearold growing up in an affluent suburb of New York in the early sixties. Numbed by theampamp160assassination of President Kennedy Ray chances uponampamp160a TV documentary about the most recent presidential electionampamp160and is drawn to the ebullient senator from Minnesota Hubert Humphrey who unsuccessfully challenged John Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.ampamp10ampamp10With the senator as his newfound hero Ray fashions a mission for himself make Humphrey Lyndon Johnsons running mate in 1964. To the amazement of his friendsampamp160and cynical father Humphrey learns of Rayampamp8217s plan to lobby the delegates and impressed with his sincerity and ambition takes Ray under his wing.Ray enters college as the senator is elected vice president but the relationship unravels when Humphrey becomes an ardent public supporter of the Vietnam War despite his personal belief in the warampamp8217s futility.