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simplysarah25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25
abalvarez's review
5.0
Where has [a:Vincent Bugliosi|28828|Vincent Bugliosi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299068352p2/28828.jpg] been all my life? I remember, when I was younger my cousin, who was into true crime books, read [b:Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders|105992|Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders|Vincent Bugliosi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347694754l/105992._SY75_.jpg|1077715] while I looked at him thinking “Why would anyone want to read a book about something as horrible as that?”. Of course I was very young and really only cared about space and action/adventure fiction. The vagaries of real life were something I had no inking about. Fast forward 50 years and I was watching the movie Parkland which is based on Mr Bugliosi’s book [b:Reclaiming History – The Assassination of John F Kennedy|203795|Reclaiming History – The Assassination of John F Kennedy|Vincent Bugliosi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348320144l/203795._SX50_.jpg|1277509] of which [b:Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy|7737296|Four Days in November The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy|Vincent Bugliosi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1355827142l/7737296._SX50_.jpg|10534684] is an (extensive) excerpt. I am such a Bugliosi fan now. Let me explain:
1. The deepest setting I’ve ever read in anything
2. He makes no apology for including as many details as he can to ensure the reader is firmly anchored to the event.
3. Characters! There are a million people who come in and out of the narrative; they are all important, and all have their part to play. Wow.
4. The book covers the pain of the Kennedy family as well as the pain of the Oswald family. Lee Harvey Oswald may have assassinated the President, but he was still a husband, son, and brother to his family who suddenly found themselves thrust into a spotlight not of their choosing.
For those of us who remember that day or the events surrounding it (and I was under 5 at the time) this opens up a portal into 1963 that is the best I’ve ever encountered.
Kudos to Mr Bugliosi for an unbelievable book. My recommendation: watch Parkland and then read Four Days in November. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I guess it’s time to read [b:Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders|105992|Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders|Vincent Bugliosi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347694754l/105992._SY75_.jpg|1077715]…
1. The deepest setting I’ve ever read in anything
2. He makes no apology for including as many details as he can to ensure the reader is firmly anchored to the event.
3. Characters! There are a million people who come in and out of the narrative; they are all important, and all have their part to play. Wow.
4. The book covers the pain of the Kennedy family as well as the pain of the Oswald family. Lee Harvey Oswald may have assassinated the President, but he was still a husband, son, and brother to his family who suddenly found themselves thrust into a spotlight not of their choosing.
For those of us who remember that day or the events surrounding it (and I was under 5 at the time) this opens up a portal into 1963 that is the best I’ve ever encountered.
Kudos to Mr Bugliosi for an unbelievable book. My recommendation: watch Parkland and then read Four Days in November. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I guess it’s time to read [b:Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders|105992|Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders|Vincent Bugliosi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347694754l/105992._SY75_.jpg|1077715]…
albledsoe's review
3.0
While interesting, this book was so tedious it took me more than eight months to gather the resolve to finally finish it. I appreciated the thoroughness of the telling of the incidents, but I just couldn't get excited to pick the book up and continue where I'd left off. A good read for people who are very interested in criminal investigations or JFK or history, but it was just too much for me.
coni_booklover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
lks's review
4.0
My first read from Bugliosi was, of course, Helter Skelter. After reading a book that was quite critical of Bugliosi’s reporting (aka he leaves a lot out), I decided to take his writing with a grain of salt.
Still, I found the details presented in this book to be fascinating and quite specific, surmounting to very clear evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald did, in fact, act alone.
I enjoyed how the book switched gears so often - White House to the police headquarters to the autopsy room, etc. I feel like it really covered all bases.
That said, this book is not for those without prior knowledge of the Kennedy family or assassination. It’s dense. It’s not supposed to be for entertainment purposes. But it’s informative. I surprisingly found myself a bit bored by November 22 (which, not surprisingly, takes up over half the book) but intrigued by the subsequent days’ events.
What I didn’t like was there was little mention of the motive. For a prosecuting attorney who tried Manson AND Oswald (posthumously), we all know he had to establish a motive. I would have liked Bugliosi to explore and expand on that more.
Still, I found the details presented in this book to be fascinating and quite specific, surmounting to very clear evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald did, in fact, act alone.
I enjoyed how the book switched gears so often - White House to the police headquarters to the autopsy room, etc. I feel like it really covered all bases.
That said, this book is not for those without prior knowledge of the Kennedy family or assassination. It’s dense. It’s not supposed to be for entertainment purposes. But it’s informative. I surprisingly found myself a bit bored by November 22 (which, not surprisingly, takes up over half the book) but intrigued by the subsequent days’ events.
What I didn’t like was there was little mention of the motive. For a prosecuting attorney who tried Manson AND Oswald (posthumously), we all know he had to establish a motive. I would have liked Bugliosi to explore and expand on that more.
lucatiel's review
4.0
This is a must read book for any JFK assassination enthusiast. The four days, starting with the day of the assassination, that are covered in this book are full of details and important timelines. Although there is some information missing this book is an indispensable guide to understanding the events of 11/22/63.
austiwesty's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating read. The amount of research that likely went into this book is mind-blowing. Definitely recommend for anyone who already has a general knowledge of the assassination and wants to learn more about the timeline. This book covers the small details of the four days in Dallas (what the police officers did, the chase to catch Oswald, the doctors at Parkland, etc.) rather than looking at the big picture. Although the author is one of the most famous anti-conspiracy theorists, he doesn't specifically discuss or refute any conspiracy theories.
librarianonparade's review
3.0
More Kennedy stuff. I'm in the mood. This book is actually drawn from a larger book, Bugliosi's 2,000 page Reclaiming History, which is a comprehensive study of the assassination and debunking of the various conspiracy theories. This book is a very in-depth narrative of the four days from the morning to the assassination to the funerals of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald four days later. It's very readable, very dramatic and very precise, and I have to confess, it is persuasive. But I just don't believe Oswald acted alone. The only problem with these books dismissing the conspiracy theories is they do tend, just as the conspiracy theorists do, to be honest, to be selective with the evidence. Or perhaps I just don't want to believe? Who knows?
librarianonparade's review against another edition
3.0
More Kennedy stuff. I'm in the mood. This book is actually drawn from a larger book, Bugliosi's 2,000 page Reclaiming History, which is a comprehensive study of the assassination and debunking of the various conspiracy theories. This book is a very in-depth narrative of the four days from the morning to the assassination to the funerals of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald four days later. It's very readable, very dramatic and very precise, and I have to confess, it is persuasive. But I just don't believe Oswald acted alone. The only problem with these books dismissing the conspiracy theories is they do tend, just as the conspiracy theorists do, to be honest, to be selective with the evidence. Or perhaps I just don't want to believe? Who knows?
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