TOW #20 IRB Killing Kennedy by Bill Oreilly

     So there was a slight change to my IRB. At first I was going to read Killing Lincoln, but I found out that I didn't own it, but I did own Killing Kennedy which is from the same series as Killing Lincoln. Killing Kennedy, written by Bill Oreilly who is a political commentator and author, is about the events that led up to Kennedy's assassination and the effect it had on America after Kennedy's death. The book also contains information on the Cold war, the rise in communism, and the Mafia which all had an impact on Kennedy's presidency and death. In Killing Kennedy, Oreilly elaborates on Oswald and details the daily life of Kennedy in order to completely disclose the life and assassination of Kennedy that is often shrouded in rumors and mystery. Oreilly believes it is a story "all Americans should know."
    Oreilly's narrative tone really helps keep the book interesting and realistic. The book itself is in a chronological order, and not only does it narrate the life of Kennedy, but also the lives of the people around Kennedy and Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald. Most history books tell the reader that Oswald killed Kennedy and move on. However, Oreilly elaborates on Oswald, "a former U.S. Marine Corps sharpshooter... in the Soviet city of Minsk... a defector at age nineteen,... the slightly built, somewhat handsome, enigmatic drifter,... convinced that his socialist beliefs would be embraced in the Soviet Union." Oswald is now given a more human characteristic than the barbaric image the average American has of Oswald, giving the book a more historical perspective and less biased view. This historical perspective allows the reader to learn the truth of Oswald and further understand the circumstances of the entire situation between Kennedy and Oswald.
      Oreilly also details the daily life of Kennedy in the White House which gives Kennedy a more human characteristic and shows the facts of the Kennedy that many do not know. President Kennedy had an, "aching back" which caused him to "the indoor pool-always heated to a therapeutic ninety degrees." He received, "regular injections of the anesthetic procaine to ease his suffering." Kennedy took, "naps for exactly forty five minutes. Other great figures in history such as Winston Churchill napped during the day. For Kennedy, it is a means of rejuvenation." These details about Kennedy unveil the facts of Kennedy that are unknown to many. Kennedy becomes a real person more than just an assassinated president and explains to people of this time why Kennedy's assassination had such a tremendous impact of the course of American history.