11 22 63 ch 1 - 8

 Preamble pg 1

Narrator teaches a GED class.  He is divorced and his ex thinks he's not in touch with his emotions. His life changed when he read a story written by a janitor about the time his dad killed most of his family.  Narrator cried when he read that story and he gave the janitor an a plus.

Ch 1 pg 9

To celebrate the janitor getting his GED narrator takes him to a diner called Al's.  Narrator is one of the few regular customers at Al's.  The guy that runs the place is named Al.  There's a time machine or something in his pantry and narrator is going through it. 

Ch 2 pg 29

Narrator goes back in time.  He has some real good rootbeer and gets to wander around town a bit.  

He comes back and Al explains things a bit.  First, when you go back you always go back to the same day and time.  Also, you're always gone for two minutes.  The reason his burgers are so cheap is he buys the meat in the past.  

I wonder where he got the old money to start with.

He has a big plan that he needs narrator's help with.  But the cancer is wearing him.out too much to explain.  He says he's gonna go home,  pop an oxygen and rest and Narrator should come over at 9:30 to talk it over. 

Narrator doesnt really love this idea.  He doesnt wanna waste years of his life in the past

Ch 3 pg 53

Al wants Narrator wants to go back in time and save JFK.  He thought he could do it himself, but then before he got the chance, he was diagnosed with cancer.  At one point he saw Lee Harvey Oswald on the street and could have killed him, but didn't.  His plan now is to try to catch Lee at what is thought to be a previous assassination attempt.   But he can't make it there again. He might only have months to live.  But narrator could try and he'd be back in two minutes. And if Al's impending death wasn't enough of a ticking clock, LL Bean has bought the land the restaurant is on and is kicking Al out so they can build a store there.

Al knows he can change the past cause he went back and stopped a girl from getting shot in a hunting accident and ended up in A wheelchairas a result.  Two things, 1 it was super hard.  Something was trying to stop him from changing the past.  2 narrator's last trip undid said saving.  Every trip back rewrites history.

Ch 4 pg 79

Narrator has a great idea.  He's gonna go back and save the janitor. He tells Al if thus works, then he'll try to save JFK.  Narrator is thinking this is a necessary task before trying to save JFK.  If Al had so much trouble stopping the girl from getting in that wheelchair,  how much harder will it be to stop 3 people from getting murdered?

Al is good with this.  They go down to the diner and Al says he'll start a pot of coffee.  It will be ready by the time narrator comes back.

Ch 5

Narrator has a fun first day in the past.  He's really saz2 all the things that were slightly different than his first visit.  he gets a haircut,  buys a suitcase,  opens a checking account,  gets a cab to the motor inn and throws all the future stuff he accidentally brought with him into a nearby pond.

Ch 6 pg 119

Narrator buys a red convertible and drives to Harry's home town of Darry.  When he gets there he hates it.  Everyone seems to be real standoffs.  Turns out that's on account of the child murders.  The bartender at the bar near Narrator's hotel gives him all the info.  So Narrator is going to do his best to avoid kids and not catch a beating for his trouble.   He has been asking around about Harry's dad.  He says he's and old army buddy name of Dunning.  Harry is informed the town is full of dunning.  Look in a phone book.

Narrator is a bit defeated by this.  How cane find Harry if can't talk to kids and his dead could be one of a long list of dunnings.  

Fate steps in.  Early in his dating career with his ex wife they went swing dancing.  Did competitions.  They mostly danced to in the mood by glen miller.  He hears this song and finds a couple of his tweens dancing to it.  They chat with narrator. They know one of Harry's siblings and give narrator the lowdown. 

Ch 7 pg 149

Narrator is casing Harry's dad to try and come up with a plan to stop him on Halloween night.  This ends with him following him to a grave yard and putting flowers on two graves.

Ch 8 ph 177

Narrator does it.  He saves the janitor. Excited to see what the janitor's life is like now.