Audiobook Review: Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
Unabridged, 8 hr. 25 min.
Macmillan Audio
Bill O’Reilly (Narrator)
October 2, 2012
★★★½☆☆

Genre: History, Non-Fiction, President

Source: Received audiobook from publisher as part of Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewers Program

“More than a million readers have thrilled to Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln, the page-turning work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader.  This may well be the most talked about book of the year.”

As soon as I heard the O’Reilly & Dugard were going to be releasing another non-fiction work about another famously assassinated president (which I am now 3 for 4 in reading about) I was super excited to read it. I enjoyed Killing Lincoln tremendously and had high hopes for the treatment about Kennedy – especially since it is a relatively recent event that I did not know all that much about. I may have set my expectations too high coming in because the book let me down a little bit.

One of the things that I appreciated was that right from the start of the book, sort of an author’s note, O’Reilly set out to respond to some of the criticisms about Killing Lincoln and how he made sure to address those concerns in Killing Kennedy. In another connection to his earlier work, parallels are frequently drawn between Kennedy and Lincoln – some of which I was surprised by and were quite eerie.

The bulk of the book features the early life and presidency of John F. Kennedy – sort of getting the reader up to speed leading up to the assassination. These vignettes were interesting and inspiring – especially reading about PT-109, which I knew about but did not know Kennedy was involved in. These sections really helped to build my appreciation of Kennedy and contributed to my emotional reaction to the assassination (which I was not alive to live through, so I’m sure my reaction was somewhat different from that of one who lived through it). At the same time, we get parallels (especially during the Kennedy administration years) of what Lee Harvey Oswald was doing. This was a strength that O’Reilly built on from the previous book which was also one of my favorite elements.

The portion of the book featuring the actual immediate lead up, assassination, and fallout made up only about one-third of the book – which was a little disappointing since the book is titled Killing Kennedy – I expected more of the book to represent this segment. For someone who really does not know too much about this period of history there were some new things that I learned and it was a great introduction to the period (however I am unable to account for its accuracy) – however I feel that for someone experienced with the time period it was likely common knowledge that was presented here – despite the claim of new revelations. I’m not going to get into conspiracy theories or which view the authors took or whether they are right or not (we just don’t know until probably 50 years from now when some records are unsealed – pretty much all Kennedy books promote one theory or another). One other little thing that bugged me was that there are dates presented at the beginning of each chapter – which suggest to the reader that the events being described happen on that day or that we will go forward from that date – but I found them to be distracting. We often would get a little something that happened on that date and then jump around in time. I think it would have been more effective to provide a date range for the chapters.

Overall this was still the compelling reading that moves you right along and keeps you interested, however I wanted more.

★★★★½☆

My sentiments were very similar to those of Killing Lincoln: The book is narrated by the author, Bill O’Reilly, who I thought was an excellent choice for narrator. His tone of voice lent to the feel of the thriller as well as to a news commentary of the days. It sort of felt like you were hearing an account of what happened. He had great pacing and enunciation which really contributed to the overall feel.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book or this audio sample?

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Tales of a Book Addict
• Mark’s Super Blog

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard:

Killing Lincoln
[My Review]

Killing Jesus

Killing Patton

Killing Reagan

Killing the Rising Sun

Killing England

Find Bill O’Reilly: Website

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Unabridged, 7 hr. 49 min.

Macmillan Audio

Bill O’Reilly (Narrator)

September 27, 2011

★★★★☆

Genre: Non-Fiction, President

Source: Received for review from publisher as part of Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewer Program

"The anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased. 

In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.”

I have never been a person who enjoyed reading about the Civil War or really imagined reading a book about Lincoln, however when I saw this audiobook I figured that I would take a chance on it. I didn’t know what to expect going into reading it – it is co-authored by Bill O’Reilly and I know that he is known for his impassioned political commentary and I’m not typically his biggest fan. I was quite surprised by how well written this book was and even more so by how much I enjoyed it.

The book, although a work of non-fiction, reads like a thriller (a style of writing that I do enjoy). While sticking to the facts of what happened in the 14 days prior to Lincoln’s assassination and the roundup of the suspects afterward the narrative style sucks you in. There is not a moment where it feels like you are reading a stuffy, dry history text. This would be a great book for someone who doesn’t read history because of the tendency to be tedious. I really didn’t want to put the book down.

All of the well known historical characters come to vivid life in the pages of this book. They become real – not just historical caricatures of good and bad. Through the writing you “get” why John Wilkes Booth did what he did, you feel the resignation of Lincoln that he will at some point be assassinated, and you get the general frenzy of Unionists and Confederates as the great Civil War draws to a close. Booth and Lincoln are given fair treatments in this book. Contrary to my concerns, the political views of the author/narrator do not affect the text.

The only part that I thought was a little overdone was the portion of the book dedicated to the last few days of the Civil War and the movements of Generals Grant and Lee. This constituted approximately ¼ of the book and I felt like it took away from the “killing Lincoln” feel. I understand that it was used to set up what was to come, but maybe a little less would have ultimately been more. It still kept me riveted though.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book. If you are unfamiliar with the time period and want something to whet your appetite this would be the book. From that point you can delve into deeper, heavier fare.

★★★★½☆

The book is narrated by the author, Bill O’Reilly, who I thought was an excellent choice for narrator. His tone of voice lent to the feel of the thriller as well as to a news commentary of the days. It sort of felt like you were hearing an account of what happened. He had great pacing and enunciation which really contributed to the overall feel.

You can check out this audio sample below to get a taste of the narration:

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Seaside Book Corner
• Sarah’s Book Shelves

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard:

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot
[My Review]

Killing Jesus

Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II’s Most Audacious General

Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault that Changed a Presidency

Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan

Find Bill O’Reilly: Website

 
Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court