Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
by Vincent Bugliosi J.D.
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vincent Bugliosi J.D.Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-15
ISBN: 0393045250
Number of pages: 1648
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
Book Reviews of Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
Book Review: Outstanding, authoritative and delivers a huge blow to the "jfk assassination industry"
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has taken some 20 years to write and it takes quite some time to read ! In a nutshell the author Vincent Bugliosi all but wraps the case up - finally. I say all but, because as we know, this case will never be wrapped up. What is "out there" in the public domain is now a blur of fact and fiction and our perception of the event is based on both good and poor information and our own ability to determine from the evidence what is indeed fact and what is fiction. And perhaps more to the point, how to interpret the information we have in a reasonable and accurate fashion - and in this case that is a tall order as the subject matter requires a good deal of expertise - or expert input - and sadly this is lacking in much of the published work on this case. This book however is authoritative and even if you disagree with the conclusion - you will no doubt appreciate it as a serious work and one that should not be taken lightly.
Despite the assassination being now some 43 years in the past, this subject still causes debate - some furious and the debate will no doubt rage on for many years to come and continue to entice us - for almost every key aspect of this case is shrouded in mystery - or is it ? The truth actually is this - if you accept that the information available to you regarding the medical, physical, ballistics and eye witness evidence is accurate and you study it exhaustively and you remain impartial, you would probably convict Lee Harvey Oswald of being the sole assassin. However this is no ordinary case and for that reason there will always be doubt. What is astonishing is that so many people think that there was a conspiracy in this case - some 70 % approx of the American public - why ? Because they have poor information.
Much of the material in this book is not new to me personally - or new per se. What is interesting here is the angle from which the subject is tackled - Bugliosi simply puts his prosecutor's hat on and in his own inimitable style presents a compelling case against Lee Harvey Oswald. His approach is such that the reader understands that even though at first it may well seem that a conspiracy existed, in fact there is little if no evidence to suggest there was. Yes, he is slightly selective at times and there are arguments for the pro conspiracy lobby that perhaps he does not tackle in full. What I admire most about the author though is his tenacity and ability to nail down witnesses and statements and show that much of the pro conspiracy testimony is mis leading or was made many years after the event and therefore could lack credibility.
I have read over 300 books on the Kennedy assassination many of them several times over - I only mention this because I do honestly believe that one cannot get a reasoned and balanced view on the subject from a small handful of books - and by small I mean less than a few dozen. And I think it is important for readers to know that. Most people, with all due respect base their view on the more sensationalist literature - and most of the published material is pro conspiracy, poorly written junk proposing fanciful theories around both the assassination and its perpetrators. Then add movies like Oliver Stones JFK to the mix and fact and fiction become a blur in what has become a multi million dollar industry. And let us not forget that - millions of dollars are generated annually from this case and many have achieved considerable wealth from it. Vincent Bugliosi has spent some 20 years on this book - I doubt he will profit hugely from it - so one could fairly and reasonably conclude that he is passionate about his subject and believes he is right in his convictions. I doubt the same can be said for many authors in this case - who I believe know perfectly well that much of what they are writing is pure fiction - but of course it may make them rich.
If you can find the time to read this book - it is approx 1700 pages long, you will see that the problem with the JFK assassination debate is that the public is largely mis informed. This subject does not often therefore provide a level headed debate based on common sense and reason. I know this from personal experience. Had I had this book 20 years ago when I started researching seriously into the subject I would have taken a very different view to the one I formed then and would not have spent the last 20 years searching for a second smoking gun that frankly probably never existed in the first place. I was convinced of a conspiracy - but no longer. In recent years far better and more scholarly publications have appeared and I can only conclude now there was no conspiracy. Of that I am now certain. This book will tell you why you should come to that same conclusion. It is a fine contribution to modern history and probably the finest on its subject to date. Many people formed opinions on this case in the 60s and 70s based on poor information and sensationalism. The published works that came forth at that time formed the basis of the JFK assassination industry and created the myth surrounding it. Indeed the belief that a conspiracy was behind the assassination is so well entrenched now, in all likely hood it will stay that way for ever - despite the fact that the evidence against Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin is overwhelming.
This book is to be commended for highlighting some huge red herrings in this case - - namely the Grassy Knoll gunman and the Single Bullet Theory viability. John F. Kennedy was not shot from the Grassy Knoll and the Single Bullet Theory - however unlikely is feasible - that is a fact. As Mr. Holmes himself said "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The fact is that many people have a problem with this in the JFK case - that is another debate, but one Mr Bugliosi does cover to some extent.
If you wish to gain an insight into the pro conspiracy side of the fence read Anthony Summers book "Conspiracy" or "Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why" by Gerald McKnight. Or if you want to find out what Bugliosi is saying in one twentieth of the time, read Mel Ayton. Larry Sturdivan's book "JFK Myths" is also a fine work on the medical & ballistics evidence in this case. But back to Mr. Bugliosi - of course no one will ever put this subject to rest now - there is too much out there, but this book comes as close to achieving closure as possible and Bugliosi is to be applauded for that. But a word of caution as Vince himself says, this subject is a "bottomless pit".
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