In an era where tracing your roots is more popular than ever—just look at the millions flocking to Ancestry.com in 2025—the Colt family’s story stands out as a raw, unfiltered testament to resilience and grit. “How to a Kill a President: Colt the smoking Gun,” by Colt Donaldson, isn’t just a memoir; it’s a multi-generational saga stretching from the Revolutionary era to the jungles of Vietnam and beyond, weaving a family legacy that mirrors America’s turbulent evolution. This isn’t your polished Founding Fathers tale. It is a gritty, boots-on-the-ground narrative of survival, history, power, and defiance against the odds.
The Colts’ journey begins long before the Declaration of Independence, with ancestors staking their claim on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, battling Irish gangs, the Five Families, and real estate titans with nothing but luck, cunning, and sheer willpower. Donaldson paints a vivid picture of a clan that didn’t just endure but thrived, carving out a niche in a fledgling nation clawing its way free from tyranny. Fast forward to the 20th century, and you find Peter Colt, a young soldier in Vietnam, swimming through a bullet-riddled river, his wrists shredded by enemy fire, guided by what he believes was divine intervention to survive. It’s a story of raw endurance, a thread that ties the Colts to America’s own history of overcoming impossible challenges.
This family legacy is so compelling because it reflects the nation’s DNA. The Colts aren’t pristine patriots but scrappers—flawed, ambitious, and fiercely loyal. Their tale echoes America’s rise: a messy mix of ingenuity, violence, and unyielding resolve. From the Revolutionary War’s chaos to the industrial boom that birthed figures like Samuel Colt—whose firearms revolutionized warfare—the family’s arc parallels a country forging itself through conflict and innovation. By the time Donaldson recounts his own brushes with the underworld and political machinations, you see a modern America still wrestling with its identity, power concentrated in the hands of a few, often unseen, players.
In 2025, as genealogy trends soar and survival stories captivate audiences, the Colt legacy strikes a chord. People are curious about their origins and are drawn to stories about forefathers who overcame hardship by using only their cunning. Think less powdered wigs and more streets covered in blood because the Colts deliver that in spades. Donaldson’s narrative doesn’t shy away from the dark corners: organized crime ties, questionable deaths, and a hinted-at influence over electoral outcomes. It’s a family history that’s as much about power as it is about survival. It is a duality that’s quintessentially American.
In the end, Colt the Smoking Gun is not just a story for history buffs. It is for anyone who’s ever wondered how their own family weathered the storms of time and overcame the odds and the dangers. The Colts didn’t just shape their corner of New York. Instead, they were shaped by a nation that rewards those bold enough to seize it.
If you are interested and want the unvarnished truth of a family that’s both a product and a driver of America’s wild ride, we recommend reading the complete book, “How to a Kill a President: Colt the Smoking Gun, Volume 1.” This book will offer an unflinching look at a bloodline that’s as enduring as the country itself. Full of thrill, suspense, danger, and so much more, this book and the complete series will provide you with the secrets that are long buried within the history of America.
Grab your copy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DX3Y1QCQ.