Reclaiming History

The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

By: Vincent Bugliosi

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

2008 Audie Award Finalist for Achievement in Abridgement

Edgar Award Winner, Best Fact Crime, 2008

Polls reveal that 85 percent of Americans believe there was a conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald. Some even believe Oswald was entirely innocent. In this encyclopedic, absorbing audiobook, Vincent Bugliosi shows how the public has come to believe such lies about the day that changed the course of history.

Bugliosi has devoted almost 20 years of his life to this project, and is determined to show that, despite the overwhelming popular perception, Oswald killed Kennedy and acted alone.

The brilliant prosecutor of Charles Manson and the man who forged an ironclad case of circumstantial guilt around O. J. Simpson in his best-selling Outrage, Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of "prosecuting" Oswald for the murder of President Kennedy. Reclaiming History is a narrative compendium of fact, ballistic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud upon the American public.

Bugliosi's irresistible logic, relentless pursuit of the truth, and command of the evidence shed fresh light on this American nightmare, providing a new understanding of what did and did not happen in Dallas on November 22, 1963. At last we know what really happened. At last it all makes sense.

©2007 Vincent Bugliosi. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Vincent Bugliosi is an American master of common sense, a punishing advocate and a curmudgeonly refreshing voice of reason....With this work, Bugliosi has definitively explained the murder that recalibrated modern America. It is a book for the ages." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Really opens your eyes. Even of you do not agree

The critical thinking and the author incentive for us to use logic, critical thinking and a good measure of doubt is excellent in itself.

Compelling and thorough.

A most thorough look at the assassination that systemically debunks conspiracies with careful review of evidence. Expected nothing less of Bugliosi and he did not disappoint.

The Truth Will be Revealed.

Would you consider the audio edition of Reclaiming History to be better than the print version?

NOt quite, it's abridged. I've never liked abridged books much.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Reclaiming History?

I can't pick one. The whole thing was amazing.

Which scene was your favorite?

How the author tore into the conspiracy theories (I strongly doubt any conspiracy took place at al on that day._

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Let the Truth Reveal itself.

Any additional comments?

For people who don't believe in conspiracy theories like myself or for the curious, this is an excellent listen.

Excellent!

The specificity and rationality of this book make it compelling and convincing. I was in elementary school when JFK was assassinated and thought I had dealt with it, but this brought back my own memories of that day and the long, long weekend following it. Thank you, Mr. Bugliosi, for your detailed verbal portrait. It honors the memories of both the president and Officer Tippett, and those whose lives were affected by these senseless murders, by refuting and de-romanticizing the emotionalism of the conspiracy theorists.

JFK assasination through the eyes of a prosecutor

Bugliosi analyzes the JFK assassination using as if it were a simple murder investigation basing his conclusions on facts and not speculation. He lays out a complete time line of the day of the murder, provides motives and evidence for Lee Harvey Oswald being the lone assassin, and shows that conspiracy theorist often rely on long debunked false information on which to base their outlandish claims. The only complaint is that the audio book is abridged.

Outstanding

Just outstanding - nice to see somepeople can still make use of a rational argument in this country.

Very detailed and honest account

This is an excellent book for the most part Bugliosi destroys any lingering doubts of alleged conspiracies. However in an effort to bury them all the last part of the book goes into excruciating detail on all these bogus claims and it becomes quite tedious.

Fascinating, especially the first half

Vincent Bugliosi is one of my favorite non-fiction writers, with Helter Skelter still the gold standard for true crime books. Here, Bugliosi turns his keen eye and thoughtful mind to the Kennedy Assassination, with an eye towards debunking most of the common conspiracy theories. (Bugliosi is firmly and unapologetically in the "Oswald acted alone" camp.)

The first half of this book is spellbinding, consisting of a minute-by-minute breakdown of everything that happened from the moment Kennedy woke up on the day he died, to the simultaneous twin burials of both Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald four days later. This is engrossing and engaging journalism, meticulously researched, and it makes those four days in Dallas come alive in a way they never did for me before.

Less successful is the second half, which consists of the author standing up for the Warren Report and explaining why some of the most common conspiracies are factually impossible. While this is interesting, it's conveyed in a much drier manner than the first half. Sometimes the author seems defensive, relying too much on criticizing theories instead of debunking them.

Edward Herrmann's narration is wonderful. He has an easy-to-listen-to tone, and is insistent without being forceful.

Overall, I rate this book 4 stars. That's 5 stars for the first half, and 3 for the second.

Great Book !

A must read for any person who wants the absolute truth. Ozzy boy was a mentally ill person. Just think if he could have gotten help for his illness and not the mental abuse from his mentally ill mother. History would have been saved from this World wide nightmare.

Great Read

This is a excellent book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get an in-depth understanding of November 22nd