Four Days In November: The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
With the recent 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination, I thought I'd dive into one of the most respected books I could find on the topic of the assassination itself. While I have fairly decent knowledge of the event, I haven't yet read a book that deals strictly with the assassination itself (as well as the follow-up investigation). Most books I've read have a more "conspiracy theory" angle, with a lot of guesswork and conjecture, and I wanted to balance that out with a book that sticks to the evidence and is focused around the event and the immediate follow-up. This book did not disappoint. It is only a small part of Bugliosi's larger book, Reclaiming History, which I plan on reading (although, at 1500 pages, it may be the 75th anniversary of the assassination before I'm done with it).This book is concerned with only the events immediately preceding the assassination, the shooting itself, as well as the immediate followup investigation (the original title of this book was Four Days in November, which is literally the timeframe that this book covers). Bugliosi, clearly using his prosecutor's eye for evidence, lays out all the facts in chronological order, sometimes literally minute by minute. The prose can come off as cold and detached (it can be a little like reading a court transcript at times) but I believe that this is the book's strength. It takes a very emotional event and tries to strip out some of the emotion and talk only about actual evidence in the case. The book is very well researched and I learned many new things about the assassination that I wasn't aware of before. That being said, there are some bits of evidence that Bugliosi leaves out that I would have liked to learn more about, particularly about the presidential limousine itself (and the bullet fragments and dents found in it). Though, to be fair, this evidence many have been developed later in the case and thus outside the scope of the book.I recommend this to anyone who is interested in the facts (not theories) about the case. Bugliosi's larger work, Reclaiming History, goes into debunking the more commonly held conspiracy theories point by point, so for someone who wants analysis I would turn to that book. This book is a great starting point for someone who is beginning to dive into the bottomless pit of Kennedy assassination books. I am so glad I read this book. So much I don't remember or never new about the details of this horrific event even though I lived through it as a teenager growing up. The author has me convinced that the facts point to one lone gunman (Oswald) changing our history. Of course, that is such a disturbing thought, that many alternative plots and conspiracies have taken hold of our imaginations and are easier to accept.Riveting and well written. Highly recommend this book.
What do You think about Four Days In November: The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy (2007)?
very detailed,but very biased [toward the official version]of the jfk assassination.
—jordyn
A minute by minute chronicle of the 4 day period. A real you-are-there effect.
—Kikiriki06
Great, detailed, Very timeline oriented... I learned a lot.
—abby
