Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

I remember it well - the day President Kennedy was shot and killed, November 22, 1963. No matter how many times I reread details expecting another outcome, his death is always an American tragedy.

What sets author Bill O'Reilly's recount in Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot apart from the immense, and growing, body of work on Kennedy's assassination? For me it is the author's tone and ability to bring the events focused in reality. The sad truth of JFK's short life. The human story in a Camelot world. A reminder of his charisma felt by many around the world. Such a tragedy.

I'm also made aware that across all the years since this tragedy, politics has not changed. No decision is made simply on it's own merit. Personal and global events always play a role - for good or evil. Politicians are always strategizing their next move, next decision, next choice, against the background of their past and future hopes. It's part of politics that so frustrates us who simply wish for a clean answer, the right decision.

I'm also impressed by another aspect of Bill O'Reilly's work - his bibliography. Mind you, this is no research paper, teacher expected, perfectly formatted MLA or APA bib! It, too, is a narrative and that makes it very readable and so much a continuation of the book. I immediately placed holds at my public library on other titles the authors found most helpful in their research. I found online videos of important speeches and coverage described as insightful. By the way, I also did that while reading the book... when Mr. O'Reilly mentioned an important figure in the Kennedy circle, I searched online for a photo or an updated biography of the person. One in particular was Marina Oswald, the widow of Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, who lives a private life and works as a pharmacist.

Keep your online device at hand while you enjoy Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Honestly, aren't there enough books already written about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln? Isn't the evidence there as to who killed him and why? The answers: No and No.

History buff or not, you'll be immersed in this story of Lincoln's assassination - Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. It's the style in which it is written, rather than the facts unveiled, that make this an enjoyable and informative read. It reads like a suspenseful thriller outlining the day-by-day, hour-by-hour events beginning with the final days of the Civil War and culminating with the sentencing and execution of assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and his accomplices.

The story alternates between Lincoln's and Booth's days. The bedraggled Union and Confederate armies challenges. The jubilation taking place in Washington, D.C. as word spread of General Lee's surrender. The world of theatre and acting that provided Booth with the opportunity to move freely through Ford's Theatre plotting the assassination.

Bonus: The appendix includes a reprint of the April 29, 1865 edition of Harper's Weekly, a news magazine of that time, exclusively covering the assassination and death of President Lincoln. The sense of loss felt by the nation is apparent.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

I recently read Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and find that it compliments Mindset by Carol Dweck. Both titles look at our perceptions of success and how it is achieved. Each author systematically makes the case that success is not a chance occurrence and not based simply on intelligence.

Using data, Gladwell peels back the layers of what makes one successful and how it is influenced by opportunity and timing. He calls these successful people outliers as their success is outside the norm.

His opening example is with Canadian youth ice hockey players. Due to the date of their births, many of the best players actually share a month of birth. Gladwell claims that with the age cutoff to enter a team established on January 1st, all boys born in January, February, or March have the most opportunity to practice with coaches. More practice equates to better players. Better players become the best players and advance their skills and opportunities as they grow.

Similarly, opportunities for exploring computer technologies happened to a young Bill Gates. At a young age he was able to engage in hands-on exploration of main-frame computer software even developing programs. Over several years, he honed his skills at a time when few understood software programming; it was a new phenomenon. We all know what became of Bill Gates!

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy

War - It's dirty, muddy, rainy, tiring, dangerous, bloody, depressing, physically and emotionally exhausting. Soldiers long for it to end. Imagine fighting a war, you've dug your trenches and are taking cover within. Across the battlefield your enemy has done the same. You are staring each other down with guns pointed - on high alert. BUT it is Christmas Eve! You long for home and your traditional family time. Your comrades feel the same. If only you could have a small bit of Christmas here on the battlefield. Let's sing carols!

It was the sound of caroling that brought the Christmas truce during World War I. The British and German soldiers had been fighting across a bloody battlefield when a small group of Germans began to sing "Silent Night." Small make-shift Christmas trees and lighted candles appeared along the trench lines. More carols back and forth across enemy lines. At midnight they shared a religious service. At first their Christmas truce was fragile but eventually they came out of their trenches and shared the quiet of a world without gunfire. They could hear birds chirping! It was a friendly gesture and one welcomed by the soldiers.

This is a true story and well researched. Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy is filled with photographs and illustrations depicting the days of the Christmas truce. You'll enjoy reading this story of peace during this Christmas season.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

The Box From Braunau : In Search of my Father's War by Jan Elvin

It seems that our U. S. veterans keep many war stories to themselves. They are trained in the U. S. military, become patriotic comrades with each other, sent off to war, sometimes return home a hero, then never share the experiences with their family. That was the life Jan Elvin lived with her father. He was a World War II veteran and hero who kept his stories tucked away in his memory.

It was a metal box that always sat on her father's desk that was opened upon his death, that spurred Jan Elvin to write The Box From Braunau : In Search of my Father's War. She intersperses the journal writings of her father with actual events that she researched matching the timeline and places where her father was stationed. As she explored his experiences, she came to the realization that her father had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His was undiagnosed but the author's insight points to PTSD which would explain her father's silences and anxieties.

This is a dry read but does give you, the reader, an empathy for those who serve our country in particular those who see battle. We must honor their commitment and its impact on their families.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm