Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series)

***First, (some personal thoughts and recollections) that day....November 22, 1963. It was one of those rare days that (unfortunately) get imprinted onto our cogitative memory like 9-11-2001, or myriad other things that for one reason or another we always remember. I have never forgotten that day, nor that moment, (having just returned from lunch with my high school sophomore classmates to Miss Curtis' homeroom and waiting to go to the first afternoon's class) when our principal, John Abbott, came over the intercom with the news from Dallas. I do not believe that any of us actually thought what we were hearing was true. We were young, untouched by any kind of tragedy in our lives, and thus, it had some kind of unreality; difficult for us to absorb. I was left simply not knowing how to act, or react, to this news, and still remember that all I could muster was a smile (to my horror), but truthfully, I did not know how to act or react, nor what I really was feeling at that moment, trying to process something unimaginable to my young self. Much later I would learn that usually response to this sort of thing is either tears or a smile (or something like it) is quite normal. This was the United States, this just couldn't happen here. We were dismissed and I remember the walk home from school, through town, seeing people everywhere, all asking or declaring what had happened, or how, in Texas, so many, many, miles away, just an hour ago. And, then, of course, the uninterrupted broadcasts of never-ending coverage from the saddest possible news and images to scenes of unbelievably and outrage that were still playing out there in Dallas, Texas, throughout that sad weekend.Time, of course moves on, and with that time, things settle out, become sifted to their proper level of importance or memory to the times. It takes this time for history to sort itself out.***"Killing Kennedy" review:Last year I bought "Killing Lincoln" as I have had a life-long interest in both the man and the Civil War and it's times. Of course, with a lifetime of prior readings and studies, I knew the story inside out (I thought). Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard certainly had to have done their homework very well and have produced one of the finest books I have ever had the pleasure to read about Lincoln and his times. It is a magnificent achievement, and if you have not read it, I heartily recommend it to you for your enlightenment. It moves in real-time and is so clearly written and articulated that you literally feel that you are "there"....which I have never experienced before. That book can be found by clicking this link: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America ForeverAs I was finishing up "Killing Lincoln", I saw the announcement for "Killing Kennedy", and thus since it was relevant to my or "our" time, I pre-ordered it here and awaited its publication and release. Other life obligations prevented my reading it until about two weeks ago, but I must say it, also, is one of the finest-told (presented), in "real-time" again, "endings of Camelot" that I have read, and as with Lincoln/Civil War, I have read many about Kennedy, Cuban Invasion, Missile Crisis, Cold War, etc.Again, O'Reilly and Dugard have done incredible homework and worked diligently to piece together this riveting account, hour-by-hour, of the assassination there at Dealey Plaza that "last" sunny autumn day of the Kennedy presidency, and the shattering destruction of "Camelot" as we were just coming to know it. The back story is clear and concise, seemingly not too long, but neither short-ended with its presentation of relevant facts, etc. I was quite fascinated by revelations of JFK and Jackie's "private life" in the White House vs. their "public life" that we of course always knew about.Of course, we all know the story, (again, it seems), intimately from the "over-and-over" of all the intervening years and the countless "theories" that have come about. I greatly admired O'Reilly's avoidance of these theories, directly, in this presentation of this sad and tragic piece of American history. Mention of all those who have been accused over the years of having had a hand in this brutal killing, but O'Reilly leaves that information "just there", which I was pleased and impressed by.Details, yes, there are myriad details concerning many things that have not been exactly presented in the "full light of day" so to speak, and they speak much here in this fascinating account of Jack, Jackie, Bobby, even the rise of Teddy, and more; --revealing and personal insights into their lives, personal and public, shining new light onto and into their situation during JFK's "reign" as this country's chief executive.You will get insights into the introductory chapter(s) of the Viet Nam Conflict, the Mafia, Marilyn Monroe, the Lawford's, Onassis (and how he first came into the picture), Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Greta Garbo, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Adlai Stevenson, Lee Harvey and Marina Oswald, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, the CIA, the Secret Service, and the police force there in Dallas that day. And, of course, the last character in this story, the strip-joint operator, Jack Ruby. There also are wonderful "afterwards" to all concerned characters here in this "Saddest of Stories".This, of course, has always been one of the biggest and so-called best stories of the past century, and O'Reilly and Dugard have magnificently re-told it here, enhanced greatly by details and information that we have not previously been exposed to before. Because of the news-coverage and the immediacy of the electronic age that was just coming into being, the notoriety and instantaneous presentation of events, both tragic, horrifying, and ceaselessly amazing to us, the people who either were there that day in person or were there because of television, it will long remain in the memory of the history of the citizens of the `60s and too, the history of this country and of it's leaders and the movement just out of sight of us as ordinary citizens.This surely is a "must read" book for every person in this country who lived during those days or who is interested in this country's history, both in and of itself, and also of it's leadership over the years. I cannot recommend Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's magnificent presentation to us of "The End of Camelot" (as we knew it) highly enough. You are SURE to love this book!~operabruin

Much has been written about both the life and death of President John F. Kennedy, some interesting and some not, some historically accurate and some not. This book qualifies as both fascinating and historically accurate and is definitely not "just another book about Kennedy". If you only read one book about the life and death of Kennedy, it should be this one. You will be both entertained and learn something in a most painless manner.JFK was initially hired to lead the U.S. because he was young, good looking, charismatic, and had the power and money of Joseph Kennedy Sr. backing him. It didn't hurt that he had a beautiful wife by his side. It was enough to get him elected, but was it enough to lead the nation, to wisely make the tough decisions that every president must make? In the beginning, no, it wasn't and Kennedy made his share of mistakes and bungles. However with time and difficult lessons learned, Kennedy grew into the position and became a true leader of men and nations, though he had serious flaws, both personally and professionally that would never be resolved. Would JFK have been re-elected in 1964 had he not been assassinated a year earlier? Almost certainly.In the end, this book brings us back, those of us old enough to remember, to the shining days that were known as Camelot and just for a few hours we are transported to a world we loved, a world of heroes and of conquering exciting new frontiers - racial equality, space exploration, and new frontiers for global democracy.This book also peels back some of the glitter of those days, the sexual liaisons, political jealousies and jockeying, lies and half-truths. But it doesn't shatter the image ... these men, particularly Kennedy, whom we so admired were not perfect, they weren't saints, they were men. The comparison to Camelot put forth by Jackie K has, in the words of the authors, "... shaped how (her) husband's presidency is remembered to this day." Nonetheless, they are heroes and will always be in our eyes, as they forged their way into uncharted new territories of which the nation's founders could never have even dreamed.If this book brings to mind the lovely carousel ride that was the Kennedy's Camelot, the afterword reminds us of the roller-coaster ride that was the aftermath of conspiracy theories, Vietnam, and the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.The book also treats us to a look into the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man whose destiny was to kill Kennedy and end the legacy of Camelot. Oswald did not hate Kennedy and really had no beef about the man, but Oswald believed that he was born to be a great man, to be known by all as a great man, and it is in this that his life was filled with bitter disappointment for he was the definition of a loser. In the end, his decision to kill the president boiled down to a simple equation: if his wife would take him back, he would put his plan aside, otherwise, with nothing left to lose, he would go down in history as "the man who killed President Kennedy".For those of us who have not extensively studied this era and the principals involved, there is much to be learned from this book. Those of us who are of a certain age certainly remember that there was much written about Kennedy's womanizing, rumors of his communist leanings, the beginnings of our involvement in Vietnam and the struggle to win racial equality. But throughout this book are many tidbits that most of us probably didn't know, for example the deviousness of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King's excesses which were similar to Kennedy's.This is the second book written by the team of O'Reilly/Duggard ... the first was Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever which I have not yet read, but certainly plan to now. I also hope to see more from these two accomplished writers. This is a book well worth the time spent reading it and one that you will remember for a long time.

Great book! Lots of history and facts building up to the assassination. Would have given 5 stars but was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much about the assassination itself and afterwards.

I like the series al lot but this one was below par. Ending almost every charter with his countdown to the murder was annoying. Oswald is quite a flat character and his motive is not very believable in my view.

Great book.. gives a complete background on the mysterious death of Kennedy.. but still remains retains the mystery..

Um excelente livro sobre os mil dias da presidência Kennedy, com maestria e elegância, é comentado sobre a administração breve, porém, que foi o embrião de grandes desdobramentos da vida política americana, como a Guerra do Vietnã, os movimentos civis e a chegada do homem à Lua.

I really like the style of the "Killing of" series. I particularly enjoy the directness of the book - no hinting around about controversial segments of a great Presidents life. A very good read.

Since I am not a fan of Fox News and certainly not of Bill O'Reilly, a positive review of his book by me is doubly positive. I was fascinated by the deep research that preceded the writing of this book, by the facts, largely known, but very well presented, and the easily readable style of writing.