• Reclaiming History

  • The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
  • By: Vincent Bugliosi
  • Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
  • Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (859 ratings)

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Reclaiming History  By  cover art

Reclaiming History

By: Vincent Bugliosi
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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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)

What listeners say about Reclaiming History

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional Detailed Account

Bugliosi's latest is a welcome breath of fresh air on a subject that has seen little since the mid 1960's. In particular, Bugliosi crushes Oliver Stone's mythical JFK film as the complete fraud that it was. Anyone having a sense of intellectual honesty on this subject oughtta do two things: 1. Watch JFK, 2. then read this book.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Starts fast, ends a litte slow

The first half of this audiobook was top notch - the author's step by step, minute by minute walk through the Kennedy Assassination was excellent. I've read many books on the assassination, but this is the first time I've heard the lead-up, the event, and the aftermath presented in this format - I found it very engaging and learned how to connect many of the dots I've read about. I may listen to this portion again in the future.
The author's rantings about the various conspiracy theories was interesting at times, but got tiring quickly. I generally agree with everything he said, but it felt like I was reading a personalized hate letter to 15 or so conspiracy writers - you disagree and the facts are on your side, WE GET IT. I lost interest in this section quickly.
Recommended - at least for the first portion.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Parts are interesting

This is not the first book that I have read on this topic having read some of the bestselling Kennedy assassination books both believing in a conspiracy and others believing the offical reports.

I found the part of this book that explains the actual events in a timeline discussing the 24 hours before and the two days after the events to be a compelling narrative.

The discussion of the evidence in an objective manner (ie the Zapruder film, the ballistics, the issues surrounding the autopsy report) was quite interesting as well and I learned a great deal of information that was new to me. This is because he was able to subject some of the evidence, such as pictures, to new techniques.

However, the author seems quite angry at the people who believe any aspects of the conspiracy theories and labels them with unflattering words. I think if this part of the book had been more objective, the book would have been better.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining Defense of Warren Report

This is a minute by minute recounting of what happened that horrible day in Dallas as reconstructed from the Warren Commission Report and reliable sources since. The narration was terrific, but the content was somewhat disappointing. At times it sounded like a "We Were There" historical-fiction book. To those familiar with Bugliosi's previous works, it is not as devastating and persuasive as say his other book, Outrage -- the magnificent deconstruction of the OJ trial.

Nevertheless, Bugliosi is one of the finest legal minds in the US today. This book will be scorned and largely discounted by all those who have already invested a lot of reputation in asserting that Kennedy was murdered by a group of conspirators.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

On an equal footing with Helter Skelter

Would you listen to Reclaiming History again? Why?

Yes--- This is a detailed, well researched book that puts the conspiracy industry where it belongs. Folks like Oliver Stone have allowed their fears and suspicions to take charge of their judgement and ethics.

What other book might you compare Reclaiming History to and why?

Helter Skelter. Because of the author, the style and level of detail are the same. It recalls the bad old days of the sixties. This is the single most significant event of that decade and perhaps the century. America was one country before this day and another the next. This is an important work.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's not a scene, but the behavior of Mrs. Kennedy showed us what a class lady she was. She was one of a kind and far more admirable than her husband or any one else for that matter.

Any additional comments?

Lee Harvey Oswald was a creep but did not fall far from the tree. His mother was what you'd expect this little psycho to come from. If there is a message for us to take from this episode, it's that any worthless **** can have a profound effect. Lee Harvey Oswald was certainly worthless and got "lucky".

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Slow Story

Reclaiming history is a long drawn out story written more like a law brief that a telling of actual events. The beginning of the story is fascinating and interesting. As the story goes on it feels as if the author was just trying to fill pages with redundant facts. This audio book was difficult to get thru.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

There was no conspiracy

Any additional comments?

After believing for over 45 years there was a conspiracy to kill president Kennedy, I got this book. It debunks all the B S theories that Oliver Stone, Jim Garrison, and Robert Groden profess, as well as all of the other hack writers that keep the conspiracy theories going for money. Plain common sense with these facts make it so obvious that Oswald acted alone and Ruby acted alone. I was 9 years old when this happened, and finally I know the truth.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Drawn out

The first part was interesting, then it became long and drawn out. The author spends alot of time trying to convince, instead of presenting an argument. I'm still not convinced it was not a conspriacy.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Well done

As a witness to the events of November 22, 1963 and the conspiracy nonsense that followed, I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Bugliosi's book. Thoughfully presenting the evidence of the real crime, Oswald's assassination of the President, a rationale person would be persuaded of Oswald's sole complicity in the foul deed. Mr. Bugliosi has utilized the Warren Commision's and the House Committee on Assasination's thorough reports to de-bunk the conspiracy arguments one by one. A must read.

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8 people found this helpful