<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I cannot tell you where I was when Kennedy was shot because I wasn't yet alive. By the time I became interested in the world around me, Kennedy's aura had dimmed somewhat, with tales of his infidelities in specific and society's increasing disillusionment with government and politics in general. So I was quite unprepared for the depths emotions that I would experience while reading this book. I felt the power of the Kennedy charisma, awe of Jackie's strength in the aftermath of her very public grief, horror at the power of an assassin to make himself permanently associated with the Kennedy legend. Manchester is a powerful writer, and he weaves together this narrative into a beautiful yet devastating read. His admiration of the Kennedy family is obvious, yet appropriate. I have heard that the Kennedy family was upset about the book after its publication. That is a shame. It is the perfect testament to the death of a great man and leader, who affected the world far more than most Americans (especially those of us in the "slacker" generation) knew. All of the Kennedy's are treated with great respect in relation to their importance to their brother and their grief at his early loss.There are some disconcerting elements in the book that the writer could not have foreseen. The book was published in 1967, so no one knew yet that RFK would not survive the decade. No one knew that Jacqueline Kennedy would marry Aristotle Onasis (although he does make an appearance in the narrative) and later die young of cancer. No one knew that the little boy who finally gave a perfect salute to his father's coffin would die a very premature death three decades later. This knowledge only made it more poignant for me as I read the book. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is highly readable and very literate. And it certainly helped fill in holes in my knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: A Prelude to War
Review: I titled this review as shown because it truly was a prelude to the war between the lone assassin believers and the conspiracy buffs. Mr. Manchester researched this historic event shortly after it happened while memories and information were still fresh. Yes, it parallels the Warren Commission Report, but it reads like a novel and is a fascinating study of the end of Camelot. It is one of those "can't put it down" reads and will prove to be the definitive study of the JFK assassination along with Gerald Posner's CASE CLOSED. Even if you are a conspiracy buff, you should read this book (and CASE CLOSED) before you form your final opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating details presented in a readable manner
Review: I was continually left in wonder at the depth of Manchester's attention to detail. For a book that basically only chronicles 6 days in the history of the U.S., the 700+ pages almost seems insufficient given the level of information the author gives the reader. Early in the book Manchester states that he personally visited many of the key sites described in the book, and that dedication is rewarded in almost every situation that can benefit from a precise description. I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone bent upon proving some "conspiracy theory" because the author does a sound job of debunking many of the sources of the myths that the current conspiracy fans hold dear. If I could have asked for anything more from this book, it would be that a second reflection could have been written after the end of the Johnson presidency and the assassination of RFK. So much more has been learned and revealed in the years after this book was finished (in 1967), that I think even more material on those 6 days could be written. And I suppose that is the best testimonial I can give.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Clinton-Kennedy connection
Review: If you look at the map of the Flight Path of Air Force One from
Love Field to Andrews AFB in the appendix of the book, one of the towns underneath: Hope, Arkansas (Willliam Jefferson Clinton's birthplace). Hope is also mentioned in the book as a representatation of small town America. Now that's freaky. Future editions of the book should footnote.
Rating:
Summary: Another Clinton-Kennedy connection
Review: This book was published in 1967. Reading it today gives the reader an opportunity to contrast the perspective of the mid-'60s with current information. The subject matter is treated with great reverence. At times, objectivity suffers. The book is very close to fawning in its treatment of Jackie Kennedy, for example. It is also very apparent that one who admired John Kennedy wrote the book. Again, there is that perspective thing. The ravages of time have taken its toll on the martyred president. More of the unsavory details of JFK's personal life are now a matter of public information. Jackie Kennedy stepped down from her pedestal and became "Jackie O" in the late '60s. The Kennedy aura in general has suffered. Equal to the book's admiration of John Kennedy is its utter contempt for Lee Harvey Oswald. Great effort is made to disparage Oswald as the most contemptible of losers. Oswald is portrayed as arguably history's greatest mediocrity. A nonentity who forced his way into the history books by a despicable and cowardly act. The book openly regrets that Oswald's memory will be forever enmeshed with JFK's. William Manchester takes the reader through the bleak events of that long November weekend in 1963. The trip to Dallas, the motorcade, the assassination, the hospital, the plane trip back to Washington, the funeral, the inside details of the friction between the Kennedy and Johnson factions, the worldwide reaction, and Oswald's unplanned televised execution by Jack Ruby are all discussed in meticulous detail. This book is a grim portrait of a turning point in American history. Regardless of one's politics, this single event marked the death of innocence and naivete that was typical of much of post WWII America, even as late as 1963. After President Kennedy's murder, the country was caught in an escalation of violence and death for much of the rest of the 1960s, typified in that dreadful year, 1968. This is an exhaustive book on a grim topic. The adoring treatment of JFK and the Kennedy family is quaint. In some ways, the book is an antique, illustrating the temper of a bygone era. Reading this book is not an uplifitng experience, but it is a very effective memoir of this major event in American history. The book can be especially recommended for those too young to remember. Just a warning to other readers: reading this book can add to one's reflective midlife melancholy as one considers where we have been, and also the road left before us. The cadence of the muffled drums that escorted the funeral procession to Arlington remains in the mind for days after finishing this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Quaint Perspective and a Grim Reminder.
Review: This book was published in 1967. Reading it today gives the reader an opportunity to contrast the perspective of the mid-'60s with current information. The subject matter is treated with great reverence. At times, objectivity suffers. The book is very close to fawning in its treatment of Jackie Kennedy, for example. It is also very apparent that one who admired John Kennedy wrote the book. Again, there is that perspective thing. The ravages of time have taken its toll on the martyred president. More of the unsavory details of JFK's personal life are now a matter of public information. Jackie Kennedy stepped down from her pedestal and became "Jackie O" in the late '60s. The Kennedy aura in general has suffered. Equal to the book's admiration of John Kennedy is its utter contempt for Lee Harvey Oswald. Great effort is made to disparage Oswald as the most contemptible of losers. Oswald is portrayed as arguably history's greatest mediocrity. A nonentity who forced his way into the history books by a despicable and cowardly act. The book openly regrets that Oswald's memory will be forever enmeshed with JFK's. William Manchester takes the reader through the bleak events of that long November weekend in 1963. The trip to Dallas, the motorcade, the assassination, the hospital, the plane trip back to Washington, the funeral, the inside details of the friction between the Kennedy and Johnson factions, the worldwide reaction, and Oswald's unplanned televised execution by Jack Ruby are all discussed in meticulous detail. This book is a grim portrait of a turning point in American history. Regardless of one's politics, this single event marked the death of innocence and naivete that was typical of much of post WWII America, even as late as 1963. After President Kennedy's murder, the country was caught in an escalation of violence and death for much of the rest of the 1960s, typified in that dreadful year, 1968. This is an exhaustive book on a grim topic. The adoring treatment of JFK and the Kennedy family is quaint. In some ways, the book is an antique, illustrating the temper of a bygone era. Reading this book is not an uplifitng experience, but it is a very effective memoir of this major event in American history. The book can be especially recommended for those too young to remember. Just a warning to other readers: reading this book can add to one's reflective midlife melancholy as one considers where we have been, and also the road left before us. The cadence of the muffled drums that escorted the funeral procession to Arlington remains in the mind for days after finishing this book.
<< 1 >>
| 
