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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Collection of Essays and Journalism, September 2, 2001
First, it must be said that this book is misleadingly packaged. The cover copy promises a disinterested, comprehensive overview of the JFK assassination and all the competing theories of how it happened. Instead, it's a collection of essays, journalism, and reviews spanning two decades, covering the assassination in particular and secret government in general, written by a left-leaning political analyst who presents his own ideas and opinions (except for a truly perfunctory afterword entitled, all-too-aptly, "Round up the Usual Suspects").As such, however, it is an excellent book. If you've never read Carl Oglesby, you should try him. His work is characterized by laser-like intelligence and crystalline, energetic writing. He is always a pleasure to read. If I had to characterize him in terms of better known writers, I'd call him a cross between Robert Christgau and Renata Adler (in terms of both content -- Christgau for politics, Adler for analytic ability -- and style). This is an ideal starting place. After this, scramble to find a copy of The Yankee and Cowboy War, his major work. For me at least, the lack of a steadily accumulating body of work by Oglesby over the last two decades is a gap in our national intellectual life. With any luck, the Y2K coup will get him writing again.
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