Kennedy's Last Days

May 1, 2013
Aiming for a young audience, the popular political pundit pares down his Killing Kennedy (2012) considerably (and leaves out the sexual exploits) while shoveling in sheaves of documentary photographs. O'Reilly writes in staccato bursts of present-tense prose chopped into short chapters and featuring quick shifts in point of view. This effectively cranks up the suspense despite tinges of purple ("The man with fewer than three years to live places his left hand on the Bible") and the foreordained outcome. The book chronicles John F. Kennedy's course from PT-109 through a challenging presidency and positively harps on Lee Harvey Oswald's determined but doomed quest to become a "great man." Though he ends with a personal anecdote that hints at the possibility of a conspiracy, the author's closely detailed account of the assassination itself and its aftermath follows the Warren Commission's version of events. News photos or snapshots on nearly every page provide views of the Kennedy and Oswald families over time, as well as important figures, places and major world events. Aside from a perfunctory list of "Fun Facts About the Early 1960s" that seems misplaced considering the somber topic, the backmatter is both extensive and helpful for further study of Kennedy's career and accomplishments. The melodrama is laid on with a trowel, but it's nevertheless a thoroughly documented, visually rich presentation of the official version. (timeline, quotes, capsule bios, sites, books, films, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)

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July 1, 2013

Gr 5-9-This adaptation of O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy (Holt, 2012) retains the adult version's brief chapters and "you are there" style. It opens with O'Reilly's memories of the day his high-school class learned of the events of November 22, 1963, and then briefly describes the backgrounds of the president and the assassin. Most of the book, however, follows the parallel paths of Kennedy and Oswald as they approach the fateful day in Dallas, describing the most important aspects of Kennedy's presidency and life, contrasting them with Oswald's radical beliefs, myriad failures, and growing isolation. O'Reilly discusses both men's personal lives but omits details of Kennedy's sexual escapades and Oswald's marriage found in the adult version. He gives an hour-by-hour account of the day and the assassination, and Oswald's capture and subsequent murder, and evaluates Kennedy's legacy. An afterword relates the post-assassination fates of major characters, and back matter provides primary-source documents, source information, and an overview of the Warren Commission's investigation. The well-captioned photos and maps that appear on almost every page are a major strength of the book. YA titles such as Wilborn Hampton's Kennedy Assassinated! (Candlewick, 1997) offer similar, detailed accounts of the assassination, but readers will find O'Reilly's readable style and juxtaposition of Kennedy's and Oswald's lives to be appealing. The popularity of the adult title will drive interest, but this book is strong enough to draw its own audience. An excellent choice for middle-school libraries.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Grades 6-9 As he did with his titles about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, TV pundit O'Reilly has pulled a book for young people from his adult work Killing Kennedy (2012). While this focuses on the assassination, the book does a solid job of introducing John Kennedy and covering the momentous events of his administration: the Bay of Pigs invasion; civil rights clashes and Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington; and the Cuban missile crisis. In a parallel narrative, O'Reilly also tells the story of Lee Harvey Oswald, a loser with delusions of grandeur. The assumption is that Oswald was the lone killer, though an interesting endnote touches upon the mysterious figure who some thought was Oswald's CIA handler (and who O'Reilly was set to interview on the day the man committed suicide). A present-tense narrative brings the events close to the reader, giving this a you-are-there feel. The photos are well chosen and the back matter extensive; the source notes weren't available for review. A highly readable addition to Kennedy shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
O'Reilly contrasts the lives and deaths of JFK and his assassin Oswald in episodic chapters that recreate the 1960s and capture important moments. Photographs and illustrations are ample and well selected, and the narrative is energetic and easy to read. See also James L. Swanson's "The President Has Been Shot," which offers a more in-depth (and less self-referential) treatment.

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