Book Reviews (217)
Monday, 12 September 2016 14:46
Pate McMichael, Klandestine: How a Klan Lawyer and a Checkbook Journalist Helped James Earl Ray Cover Up His Crime
Written by Martin Hay Martin Hay reviews «Klandestine» by Pate McMichael on the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination.
Published in Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Sunday, 28 August 2016 20:16
An Introduction to the Book Excerpt: The Incubus of Intervention
Written by James DiEugenio Presentation by Jim DiEugenio of an excerpt from Greg Poulgrain's book on the Indonesia coup.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Monday, 01 August 2016 20:05
William F. Pepper, The Plot to Kill King: The Truth Behind the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Written by Martin Hay Martin Hay reviews the merits and shortcomings of William Pepper's most recent book on the Martin Luther King Jr. case in light of his long career and previous contributions.
Published in Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Monday, 01 August 2016 19:54
John Avery Emison, The Martin Luther King Congressional Cover-Up
Written by James DiEugenio Jim DiEugenio reviews John Avery Emison’s The Martin Luther King Congressional Cover-Up, which presents valuable information on the case, though its title is somewhat misleading.
Published in Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Jim DiEugenio calls this book "a provocative revisionist history of why the epochal coup in Indonesia happened as it did in 1965 ... [and which] has enlightened us on the crucial figures of Allen Dulles, Sukarno, Dag Hammarskjold and John Kennedy, how they played with and against each other and how this nexus led to a horrible tragedy."
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
On the occasion of Mark Lane's passing, Jim DiEugenio looks back at his autobiography, concluding: "Lane’s life stands out as a man who did what he could to correct the evil and injustice in the world around him, with no target being too small or too large in that regard. This book stands out like a beacon in the night. It shows both what a citizen should be, and what an attorney can be."
Published in General
Tuesday, 17 May 2016 18:55
Clint Hill, with Lisa McCubbin, Five Presidents
Written by Vince Palamara On the second to last page, Hill/McCubbin write: “As with our previous two books, our overriding concern was to present a factual account to preserve history, while also abiding by the Secret Service pledge to be worthy of trust and confidence.” I would say it is the latter part of that statement that has guided McCubbin, Hill and Blaine through all four books, concludes Vince Palamara.
Published in General
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Friday, 04 March 2016 15:00
Jeffrey H. Caufield, M. D., General Walker and the Murder of President Kennedy
Written by James DiEugenio If the reader is interested in knowledge about the inner workings of the radical right back in the fifties or sixties, then this is a useful book. But as far as relating that group to the murder of JFK, it is simply a dud. And a pretentious, bombastic, overlong and tedious dud at that. In this reviewer’s opinion, it is the worst book on the JFK case since Ultimate Sacrifice, concludes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Saturday, 09 January 2016 14:10
John Newman, Where Angels Tread Lightly, Volume 1
Written by James DiEugenio What the author is doing has three layers. First, he is giving us a history of the Castro revolution. At the same time he is showing how the USA reacted to that epochal turnover, stage by stage in its evolution. Third, he is tracing certain people and movements who will return to the stage in 1963, after Kennedy changes policy, and begins a détente attempt with Cuba. Other authors have tried this before, but never on this scale or with this intricacy, writes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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A major achievement, its stark excavation of the evil [Allen Dulles] represented surpassing Kai Bird's biography of John McCloy, writes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Saturday, 03 October 2015 20:05
Greg Parker, Lee Harvey Oswald’s Cold War: Why the Kennedy Assassination Should Be Reinvestigated
Written by Greg Parker An excerpt from the second volume of Greg Parker's study of the historical context for Lee Harvey Oswald's intelligence-related activities.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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In light of the recent developments in our understanding of JFK's foreign policy vision, Jim DiEugenio writes: "In sum, this is not a bad book. And I think some of its faults can be explained by Shaw’s association with the Wall Street Journal and the Hoover Institute. But in my opinion it could have been much better".
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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Monday, 29 June 2015 19:11
Flip de Mey, Cold Case Kennedy: A New Investigation Into the Assassination of JFK (2013)
Written by Gary Aguilar Flip de Mey’s well written and entertaining book makes valuable contributions. But in the end it must be said it is far from completely satisfactory. However, there is great material in the book and students are encouraged to read it, and then decide for themselves, writes Gary Aguilar.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
About the first fifty pages of Undeniable Truths is pretty much undeniable. The next fifty pages are a decided mixture of truth and question marks. Most of the last 200 pages do not at all merit the title. In fact, that part is, in large measure, nothing more than conjecture. And much of that conjecture is ill-founded, concludes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Sunday, 14 June 2015 20:17
Ballistics and Baloney: Lucien Haag and the JFK Assassination
Written by Martin Hay Martin Hay reviews an article published by Haag in AFTE, about which he concludes: "It is little wonder ... that Lucien Haag limited his defense of the 'Magic' Bullet Theory to a (misleading) discussion of Governor Connally's wounds. After all, no matter how impressive his credentials and extensive his experience, there are some problems that no man can make disappear."
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Tuesday, 28 April 2015 21:09
Andrew Cohen, Two Days in June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours that Made History
Written by James DiEugenio What could have been an important and sterling volume is seriously compromised with a lot of litter. Instead of being up there with Rakove and Muehlenbeck, it stands a couple of steps downward, with Thurston Clarke’s mixed bag of nuts, concludes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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Sunday, 07 December 2014 17:58
Charles E. Hurlburt, It's Time For The Truth! The JFK Cover-up: The Real Crime of the Century
Written by Vasilios Vazakas This book is really an entry level book for the novice, an overview of the assassination that tries to touch all of its aspects. ... Its major themes, like the shooting sequence and the identification of the conspirators are not well constructed and some of his conclusions are not supported by the latest findings. And his criticism of Jim Garrison was unfortunate and unjustifiable. After finishing the book you are left with the impression that it was probably written in the 90s and not in 2013, writes Vasilios Vazakas.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
A valuable Big Picture book, one with many new sources for study, which bring in much fascinating information. The light [Swanson] sheds on men like Nitze and Acheson show just what hollow clowns the so-called Wise Men of the media really were. [The book] also demonstrates just how powerful and dangerous the Military Industrial Complex has become. By showing Kennedy's opposition to it, he may have also shown why Kennedy was killed, concludes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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Oswald's Game really tells us more about the biases and obsessions of Jean Davison on the Kennedy case than it does about its ostensible subject. Which is really the worst thing one can say about a biographer, concludes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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The once progressive co-author of A Populist Manifesto with this book has written the worst kind of alternative history, one seriously colored by the view from the present, and more specifically, of those who won and those who lost, with a decided bias in favor of those who won, writes Jim DiEugenio.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Jim DiEugenio reviews Columbia University economist and author Jeffrey Sachs' latest book, which examines Kennedy's famous 1963 American University speech.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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Monday, 09 June 2014 18:28
Harrison E. Livingstone, Panjandrum: Secrets of the JFK X-rays
Written by David Mantik [Livingstone] was once a heroic pioneer in the medical evidence. His books (and Lifton's contributions, too) were invaluable introductions for me. For that I am still grateful to both. Unfortunately, I see little of value in this book, but rather lots of pointless confusion. The book should not have been written-and it should not be read, concludes David Mantik.
Published in John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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