Killing Kennedy: The End Of Camelot (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I could not be described as a big follower (perhaps fan) of Bill O'Reilly, but then again, I'm also not a rabid anti-O'Reilly person either when it comes to listening to his commentary on TV. As an author, this is the first book I've read (although in this case actually "heard") by him. I've heard others recommend his "Killing" books highly, so decided to give it a try. At first I was a little put off because this audio book is read by O'Reilly, and I thought I might not be able to handle hours of listening to him read. That said, once I was able to put this little bit of prejudice aside, I thought he did an excellent job reading it. Considering this would be a quick read anyway, then matching to how quickly and well Bill reads it, the book literally flew by. There were times in the book I thought I might not make it through because it started to sound like a thinly veiled diatribe against Kennedy. Particularly in the sections dealing with Kennedy's supposed sexual exploits, and the handling of the Bay of Pigs crisis. Here, O'Reilly places the blame for the Bay of Pigs foul up on Kennedy. I think perhaps a more balanced (and perhaps better researched?) view on this is touched on in the book "The Brothers" by Stephen Kinzer, as he discusses Allen Dulles' role in the affair as then CIA Director. But who knows whose research/conclusions might be the right one? Once I got past these sections however, I found the book more balanced (in my certainly less than expert opinion), and the history/story very well told. On balance, I thought O'Reilly and Dugard did a really good job on the writing of this book. Hey, I don't mind them recounting things differently from other sources I've read, it gives a different perspective, and they did it so very well.I'll definitely be reading the other books by O'Reilly and Dugard. I found this one very worthwhile. Actually, I'll probably even try to find the audio versions, as in the end, I really did enjoy the way O'Reilly reads. I actually really enjoyed this book. It was full of interesting information and didn't lag too much. I learned much that I didn't know. I was irritated, however, that there was continual effort to draw parallels between Kennedy and Lincoln. While I know that this was generally limited to circumstances, I feel as though there was more implied. Kennedy was not half the president/man/person that Lincoln was. Minus one star.
What do You think about Killing Kennedy: The End Of Camelot (2012)?
Great read, enough history, enough gossip to get those of us who aren't into politics through it.
—whatadorkysmile
I had my Total Fill with the Kennedy assasination.. Two book .. I'm good
—RBijlsma
