Martin Dugard

Bill O'reilly

"Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy - and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath...The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. A page-turner from beginning to end, Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader." -- Book jacket.

The End of Camelot

Killing Kennedy

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: cheating, death, violence, use of the n word, racism, domestic abuse, attacks against Buddhism, war, chronic illness

This was another book that my dad recommended. He’s been recommending me a lot of books lately and I’m loving it. Dad had read several other books in the Killing series. He knows I like history and he figured I would like this and boy, he was right. Good thing I found this book a thrift store. I wonder what book Dad will recommend to me next. 

I confess. I’m not the biggest fan of American history. Not sure why but American history is kind of boring to me. Plus, I’m truly not keen on how America has treated POC and women during the years. However, after reading this book, I’m interested in learning more about the Presidents. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Bill O’Reilly will write more books about presidents. 

One thing I look for with these types of books is readability. Am I able to understand what is being presented to me? Nonfiction can be notorious for being dense and hard to understand. Luckily, the answer to that question is yes. The information was presented in an easy to read manner. It was like reading a novel. I loved that. It reminded me of reading the biography of Catherine the Great.

The Kennedy’s were such an interesting family and Kennedy as a President was a lot more successful then I realized. JFK embodied what it means to be President. Even when times weren’t looking good for him after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, he remained strong and continued to lead America. I often wonder what it would have been like if he was able to serve the full term he was elected for. I wonder how different America would be. 

Overall, I recommended this book. It has tons of great information, presented in an easy to read manner. There is no bias, just facts. Truly a great book. I am hoping that his other books in the Killing series are just as good as this one.

Patty M.

Oof. This subtitle of this book should be “A Regurgitation of Shit We Already Know.”

Magdalene Lim

I didn’t know JFK was such a great writer! A pulitzer prize winning writer/reporter who became a president - wow! As much as I enjoyed reading about the backgrounds of the various key characters, I also very much enjoyed reading his quips. I’ll be looking out for more of his speeches, that’s for sure!

I hope that this book gave an accurate portrayal of the characters. If so, it was nice to read what sort of people JFK and his wife were.

If I were a sommelier, and this book were the main course, I would pair it with the movie “Jackie”, a docu-movie fronted by Natalie Portman. It continues after JFK’s death and combined with actual footage, gives you a sense of how the events played out. 

For someone who knows little about the background of America and her presidents, I enjoyed this slice of history, though other reviewers may dispute this.

Rachel

Really enjoyed Killing Kennedy. As someone who wasn't alive when he was president, I knew the basics of his life and what happened but this went a bit more in depth in a entertaining way. It wasn't the history textbook story that I've read numerous times over the years, but a more personal feel to the story. You got a bit of background of JFKs like without it going overboard to get a sense of his character more. It included some of the major issues in his presidency and also about his affairs. We all know JFK was a cheat but I think the book shows how much he cared for his wife. Also got a good glimpse at Oswald's life leading up to 11/22/63 and where his mind was going before it happened. The book is also very detailed about the actual shooting, speed of the car, directions, errors made, little things that all had to line up in order for the president to be killed. It's sad and mind blowing to know that a few hours before it was raining and they would of had the bubble on top of the car but it ended up being a sunny day, that small event could of changed history. I liked how it did touch base on some of the conspiracy theories out there and why they came up. I wish that part of would been in more detail, especially at the end where we find out people who were going to testify of be interviewed ended up getting killed/killed themselves shortly before. Very glad I read this book and was surprised that Bill O'Riley can come off as a sane human being.

Brett LeClair

The No.1 New York Times Bestseller In January 1961, as the cold war escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of communism while he learns the hardships, solitude and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. At the same time, JFK acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Allen Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Then, in the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, a sequence of gunshots kills a beloved president and sends America into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath. A page-turner from beginning to end, Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life fifty years after the most notorious crime of the twentieth century. ‘Immersively written . . . A powerful historical précis’ Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Killing Kennedy The End of Camelot

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