The Stephen King book, 11/22/63, has a subtle connection to the horror master’s real life. The 2011 novel—which was adapted into a Hulu series starring James Franco in 2016—centers on a reluctant time traveler, high school English teacher Jake Epping. The story follows Jake as he goes back in time to attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK, which occurred on the titular date of November 22, 1963. Jake is recruited to do so by the character Al Templeton—the owner of a local diner that contains the portal to the past—who was trying to track down and kill Lee Harvey Oswald, but had to give up his mission when he developed cancer.
11/22/63 was the 60th overall book published by King, and his 49th novel. When the novel was published, it instantly became a bestseller, and remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks. It also went on to win various accolades, including the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller and the 2012 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel.
King has commented on how much research had to be completed in order to accurately portray the late 1950s and early 1960s in the story. As he told the Wall Street Journal, “I’ve never tried to write anything like this before. It was really strange at first, like breaking in a new pair of shoes". Indeed, the book contains detailed historical facts, down to the price of a pint of root beer in 1958. Intensive research was also done on JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald; King and longtime researcher Russ Dorr studied old newspapers and other documents, and even visited Oswald’s Dallas apartment building.
11/22/63: The Book's Subtle Connection To Stephen King's Real Life
Like several other King books, 11/22/63 largely takes place in parts of Maine. The book has become one of many studies in how King interconnects his numerous works to not only each other, but to himself. In one chapter of 11/22/63, Jake pays a visit to the town of Derry, and feels a darkness there that readers can assume is linked to the presence of “It” from King's 1986 novel, IT. While in Derry, Jake even ends up meeting Beverly Marsh and Richie Tozier, two of the main characters from IT and members of the Losers Club.
In addition to references to other King works, 11/22/63 has connections to King’s own life. The book makes references to WKIT-FM (100.3 MHz), a commercial FM radio station serving the Bangor area of Central Maine. The classic rock radio station is part of the Zone Corporation, a Central Maine broadcasting group which is owned by Stephen and Tabitha King. This simple connection just goes to show how much of the author's work is taken from his personal experiences with even the smallest nods and easily-missed references.