jeanm333's review
4.0
On April 12, 1947, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon met for their first debate - in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. They debated the Taft-Hartley Act (Nixon for it and Kennedy against), then they boarded the Capitol Limited train which took them back to Washington, D.C. in time for breakfast. Author David R. Stokes reconstructs their all-night conversation on that train, and he does a great job of it.
The book begins with Nixon's arrival in New York on November 22, 1963, as he learns of Kennedy's assassination and his death, and Stokes shows the friendship that had developed between the two men, which began on that night in 1947.
I was a little skeptical in the beginning, because nothing much is known of what the two men talked about on that train, but Stokes does a great job piecing together a very plausible conversation from his extensive research. I liked the little touches, like what each man wore to bed, and Nixon pointing out Kennedy's health issues, which were unknown at the time. Other little touches, like Kennedy's admission that he really wanted to be a journalist, but was thrust into politics by his father when his brother Joe died in World War II, and Nixon's admission that he didn't do much in the war, were also well done.
I did find a couple of typos, and in several places he repeated sections of background information. I also had a little trouble differentiating the dialogue between the two men.
All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm going to read more of his books now.
One more point: Stokes includes an extensive bibliography and he includes a discussion of the role of historical fiction, likening it to the process of reconstructing a dinosaur from a small assortment of bone fragments. Done well, as Stokes does it, I agree that historical fiction can fill in holes in history and give us new insights into historical figures.
The book begins with Nixon's arrival in New York on November 22, 1963, as he learns of Kennedy's assassination and his death, and Stokes shows the friendship that had developed between the two men, which began on that night in 1947.
I was a little skeptical in the beginning, because nothing much is known of what the two men talked about on that train, but Stokes does a great job piecing together a very plausible conversation from his extensive research. I liked the little touches, like what each man wore to bed, and Nixon pointing out Kennedy's health issues, which were unknown at the time. Other little touches, like Kennedy's admission that he really wanted to be a journalist, but was thrust into politics by his father when his brother Joe died in World War II, and Nixon's admission that he didn't do much in the war, were also well done.
I did find a couple of typos, and in several places he repeated sections of background information. I also had a little trouble differentiating the dialogue between the two men.
All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm going to read more of his books now.
One more point: Stokes includes an extensive bibliography and he includes a discussion of the role of historical fiction, likening it to the process of reconstructing a dinosaur from a small assortment of bone fragments. Done well, as Stokes does it, I agree that historical fiction can fill in holes in history and give us new insights into historical figures.
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