Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2007.
Description
Polls reveal that over 75 percent of Americans believe there was a conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald; some even believe Oswald was entirely innocent. In this absorbing and historic book--the first ever to cover the entire case--Vincent Bugliosi shows how we have come to believe such lies about an event that changed the course of history. Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of "prosecuting" Oswald for the murder of President Kennedy. His book is a narrative compendium of fact, forensic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud upon the American public. Bugliosi's irresistible logic, command of the evidence, and ability to draw startling inferences shed fresh light on this American nightmare. At last we know what really happened. At last it all makes sense.--From publisher description.… (more)
Media reviews
Vincent Bugliosi, the assistant district attorney who put Charles Manson away and later produced the most merciless book on O. J. Simpson (Outrage), has in one way or another been working on Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy for 21 years, ever since he acted as the
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prosecutor in an elaborate mock trial of Oswald that was filmed in London and included Ruth Paine among its “witnesses.” Bugliosi got a conviction and never really left the case...
Reclaiming History is a magnificent and, in many ways, appalling achievement, a work that, for all the author’s liveliness and pugnacity, is destined to be more referenced than read. Bugliosi insists that, in the face of America’s widespread and misplaced belief in the existence of a conspiracy against JFK’s life, “overkill in this book is historically necessary.” This undue elaboration includes, one supposes, the work’s primer on the civil-rights movement (as context for Kennedy’s own activity in that realm); its long history of the Mafia that Jack Ruby was not part of; nine pages on the Bay of Pigs invasion that did not motivate Fidel Castro to kill Kennedy; and four paragraphs on the oil-depletion allowance, whose reduction, unsought by Kennedy, did not drive the Texas oilman H. L. Hunt to murder the president. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member roblong
Hard to argue with how good this is, and what an achievement – the work of one man over 20 years, covering as much of the goings on surrounding the assassination as can feasibly be fit in one book. The case against Oswald is set out conclusively, and by the end of it there’s no real doubt as to
The book has an unexpected strength too in its many digressions – on the history of the mob in the USA, the way in which bullet fragments can be identified and linked to a particular rifle etc – which give a wide variety of information on subjects I, at least, would never take time to read about otherwise.
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what happened. The section discussing the conspiracy theories is often good fun and a slightly scary insight into the crazy things people will actually believe, as well as the limp, ridiculous ideas people will accept if it suits their dislike of government or whatever else. It’s enjoyable to read the idea that someone as pig-headed and unreliable as Oswald was useful to anyone as a hitman or a patsy, or that the actually-mentally-ill Jack Ruby would be trusted to so much as buy a pint of milk for the mob, given the complete lack of respect they deserve. Perhaps the best bit in this vein is the 100-or-so page chapter pointing out the endless lies in Oliver Stone’s movie JFK – Bugliosi apologies for even discussing the film, as it lessens the quality of his book to engage with such tripe, but accepts it is necessary given the film’s popularity – and all its self-contradictory, invented guff. The book has an unexpected strength too in its many digressions – on the history of the mob in the USA, the way in which bullet fragments can be identified and linked to a particular rifle etc – which give a wide variety of information on subjects I, at least, would never take time to read about otherwise.
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LibraryThing member brianfstevenson
Maybe this is the only book anyone will ever need to read on the Kennedy assassination. Bugliosi systematically demolishes theory after theory and concludes what so many people seemed surprisingly reluctant to believe in the first place - that a lonesome loser, almost on a whim, could destroy the
For once, a work on the assassination that should not have remained a tree.
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life of a charismatic and powerful man. In the claustrophobically overcrowded field of Kennedy assassination literature, it is such a relief to have someone, at long last, talking sense, but Bugliosi occasionally leavens a grave and tragic subject with humour when spotlighting the more ridiculous of the theories - who cares if he gets a bit sarcastic at times with people who thoroughly deserve it? His imaginary account of a conversation between Ruby and the mob if the mob had lined him up to eliminate Oswald is absolutely hilarious (pp 1142-1144.) For once, a work on the assassination that should not have remained a tree.
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LibraryThing member drneutron
Wow, this is one heavy book. Physically, I mean. The first chapter is 300-odd pages of a time-line for the day of the assassination and the subsequent three days. I'm both amazed at the depth of coverage and fascinated with his telling of events.
The next few chapters deal with aspects of the
I've been impressed with the writing so far. I thought that I'd either get bogged down in the details or that the writing would suffer, but so far neither has happened. It's still a very big book, but I'm recommending it to others.
The next few chapters deal with aspects of the
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evidence, and I was particularly impressed with his coverage of the issues associated with JFK's autopsy. His conclusions are rational, and h's not afraid to call out conspiracy theorists when they misuse the evidence.I've been impressed with the writing so far. I thought that I'd either get bogged down in the details or that the writing would suffer, but so far neither has happened. It's still a very big book, but I'm recommending it to others.
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LibraryThing member lesadee
First of all, you gotta love a book that weighs this much! This is truly exhaustive in every sense of the word. On the plus side, there is almost no aspect of the Kennedy assassination that is not addressed in this book. On the minus side, the author does indulge in quite a bit of sarcastic
This is definitely a must-have if you're interested this subject at all. Just do some strength training before you go to the bookstore because this is one huge book!
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commenting on the writing and research of others. This is definitely a must-have if you're interested this subject at all. Just do some strength training before you go to the bookstore because this is one huge book!
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LibraryThing member briteness
This is, after the 900-page Warren Commission Report, perhaps the single most important book about the Kennedy assassination, regardless of what you believe happened on that day. It opens with perhaps the best re-telling of the story (at least the story as originally presented by the Commission)
This book is not just for people who accept the official version of the story. A good majority of the people who dig deep into the assassination literature seem to be conspiracy people. This is probably because if a person believes the Warren Commission's story, there is unlikely to be same motivation to search for the true solution to the puzzle. (I began my own study of the subject years ago, harboring dark suspicions about LBJ. Now I think it was probably just Oswald himself, although Sylvia Odio's testimony to the Commission does raise at least the possibility of conspiracy with some Cubans. Bugliosi's treatment of this, probably the most difficult conspiracy theory to explain away, is worth the price of admission all by itself.) This book should be required reading for all conspiracy theorists, because it challenges their views. If they cannot respond to Bugliosi's arguments, they may, if they are honest, have to modify their views. Or simply dismiss the work of the Warren Commission as just a big pack of lies which is to be avoided because it'll only confuse you. (Lots of people explicitly say that you should not read the Report. They also say you shouldn't read this book. I have little respect for those people. They just want to preserve their little fantasy land.)
Even now, over half a century later, the truth about the death of JFK does matter. Perhaps no one person knows more about the case than Bugliosi. No matter what you think about the case, you can learn something here.
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that I have ever seen. It then addresses many of most important claims which have been made over the years to challenge the conclusions of the Commission. Bugliosi's claim that he presents each conspiracy theory in the way the people who believe it would present it themselves, prior to debunking each one, is probably not quite literally true. He allows perhaps a bit too much of his scorn to show through at times, although it must be said that many of the conspiracy crowd scarcely deserve more. But he does in fact have enough respect for the critics of the Commission to address their charges directly and exhaustively. Although this approach has been used in the past, for example by Gerald Posner in his book Case Closed, there is no other book out there that comes close to this one. Bugliosi's mastery of the details of the case is a marvel. This is truly a useful service.This book is not just for people who accept the official version of the story. A good majority of the people who dig deep into the assassination literature seem to be conspiracy people. This is probably because if a person believes the Warren Commission's story, there is unlikely to be same motivation to search for the true solution to the puzzle. (I began my own study of the subject years ago, harboring dark suspicions about LBJ. Now I think it was probably just Oswald himself, although Sylvia Odio's testimony to the Commission does raise at least the possibility of conspiracy with some Cubans. Bugliosi's treatment of this, probably the most difficult conspiracy theory to explain away, is worth the price of admission all by itself.) This book should be required reading for all conspiracy theorists, because it challenges their views. If they cannot respond to Bugliosi's arguments, they may, if they are honest, have to modify their views. Or simply dismiss the work of the Warren Commission as just a big pack of lies which is to be avoided because it'll only confuse you. (Lots of people explicitly say that you should not read the Report. They also say you shouldn't read this book. I have little respect for those people. They just want to preserve their little fantasy land.)
Even now, over half a century later, the truth about the death of JFK does matter. Perhaps no one person knows more about the case than Bugliosi. No matter what you think about the case, you can learn something here.
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Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Fact Crime — 2008)
Physical description
xlvi, 1612 p.; 27 cm
ISBN
9780393045253