In 2003, nine-year-old presidential enthusiast Kurt Deion presented his father with an audacious request: would he help him follow in the footsteps of historian Richard Norton Smith and C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb by taking him to visit the final resting place of each dead U.S. president? He got all he asked for, and more. Deion's journey to these tombs, and from elementary school neophyte to college history major, was unorthodox. With his zany, boundary-pushing father at the wheel, the straight-laced youngster found himself sneaking a camera past Secret Service agents, purposely locked in a cemetery enclosed with barbed wire, and handcuffed to the former Dallas homicide detective who was tethered to alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby. Most daringly, he (reluctantly) gained entry to a vice president's private family burial ground in order to possibly become the lone person to have visited each presidential and vice presidential grave, collectively. In this history-driven memoir, Deion reconstructs his decade-long, cross-country quest and analyzes the evolution of his perspective on the commanders-in-chief and what it means to visit a cemetery. "In Presidential Grave Hunter , Kurt Deion combines his wide-eyed boyhood obsession to visit every American president and vice-president's grave with an accomplished scholarship of the public historian he became. Parts memoir, history, and madcap adventure, Presidential Grave Hunter offers a unique, informative, and entertaining lens into presidential history. From the solitude of Martin Van Buren's Kinderhook tombstone to the national spotlight on C-SPAN, I enjoyed every page and every grave. As part of my own research, I've been to each president's final resting place, but after reading Presidential Grave Hunter , I'm compelled to visit them all over again!" Louis L. Picone Author of Grant's Tomb and The President Is Dead! "How do you meet a dead person? In this heartwarming memoir, Kurt Deion tells of his childhood quest to visit the graves of every president and vice president, making him possibly the only person to do both. A coming-of-age narrative with a unique perspective on American history, Presidential Grave Hunter takes us along Deion's incredible journey across America, from George Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon to the elusive final resting place of Nelson Rockefeller. Equal parts charming and informative, this book will appeal to anyone from the avid historian to the casual reader alike." Thomas Balcerski Author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King In Presidential Grave Hunter, Deion guides readers through an exciting and kaleidoscopic travelogue of adventures, madcaps, light trespassing, and brushes with the amazing as he tracked down the gravesites of America's Presidents and Vice Presidents. In the tradition of recent writers like Sarah Vowell or Nathaniel Philbrick, Deion gives readers a vivid and encyclopedic retelling of his various travels, mixed with the history of the sites he visited, and the people those sites commemorate. Deion has an attention for detail that comes through in recounting the various sites he has visited, and communicating the atmosphere for those who have not. Joe Faykosh Professor of History at Central Arizona College and Host of Visiting the Presidents podcast "Presidential Grave Hunter" provides an extraordinary look at American History that is at once highly unique and thoroughly captivating. It's a must read for every student of our nation's narrative and everyone who loves exceptional, unusual adventures. Kudos to Kurt on a great accomplishment! Donald M. Stinson Author of Downstairs at the White House "It's not just that Kurt Deion takes us on visits to presidential gravesites. It's adventures he takes us on, lots of them, as he revisits a childhood passion through his skills as a now grown-up writer/historian. Kurt's writing is lively and informed, and some of the stories he shares with us are deeply personal and moving." Steve Buckley Senior Writer, The Athletic "I'm impressed by your obsession, by your dedication to its fulfillment resulting in this well-written book! Above all, of course, I was stunned by your introductory remarks about my and Judy St. George's book being the original inspiration for your years-long quest. This is your real gift to me: proof that a book can have its impact at unpredictable times and in unpredictable ways." David Small Caldecott Medal award winning illustrator for " So, You Want To Be President?" KURT DEION is a public historian, author, guest speaker, and presidential expert for RoadsideAmerica.com. He holds an M.A. in history. At age 14 he launched kurtshistoricsites.com as a means to both document his travels and to encourage others to visit gravesites and engage in hands-on history. His website and his cemetery pilgrimages were the