Receive Where Were You? America Remembers The JFK Assassination Translated By Gus Russo Available As Volume

A policemans wife was fetching their sick child from school, A young shoe store manager had no idea what lay in wait for him that day, A future president was tending to his farm, A future vice president was standing on the steps of his college library, A Georgetown student was looking forward to playing the piano for the president when he returned to Washington, DC, that evening, A future movie star was attending his secondgrade art class,
     Then the news rang out across airwaves, through telephone lines, and by word of mouth, plunging the country into shock and sorrow, Its hard to imagine how the last fifty years would have unfolded if President John F, Kennedy had lived. Would Vietnam have dragged on untilWould Nixon have come into power Its difficult to saybut, combining evocative archival images with the unique, firstperson stories of those who lived through it, Where Were You says what the history books cant and offers a fresh look at what was, what is, and what might have been since that fateful day.

    In the twohour NBC documentary event that this volume accompanies, special correspondent Tom Brokaw interviewed people close to the tragedy as well as former heads of state, politicians, authors, journalists, performers, musicians, and more.
He asked them five simple questions, starting with: Where were you Together, their words paint a rich and moving picture of a hopeful nation torn asunder by grief.
It will remind those who lived it of a pivotal moment in American history, and it bears witness for all who follow, Excellent book about one of the most lifealtering moments in American history, For those of us who experienced those unbelievable days as well as for those who are interested in American history, this book adds to the existing knowledge of Nov. I particularly enjoyed the different perspectives presented in the book, I highly recommend this book, I remember vividly where I was, so it was easy to relate to the stories and memories of the wide variety of individuals who responded to the question, "Where were you"
The same basic theme ran through every story, "there was optimism and hope for the future until that day in November.
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"We felt that Kennedy gave his life for us, It was the moral mandate that America had to change, Without Kennedy's life and death, Johnson couldn't have gotten the Civil Rights Bill through Congress, " Andrew Young

"A commission to solve the death of the president that never met as a complete body, We owe Jack Kennedy the truth, and we owe the American people the truth, " Mort Sahl

"I think everybody had the feeling that Kennedy was going to get it done somehow, America of November,was a place filled with optimism, " Judy Collins

"A lot of people lived the Kennedy kind of life, but they didn't necessarily do things for the people who didn't live that kind of life.
That was the great difference, When you would see a Kennedy show up at a rally to help people get home heating oil or to do something for the poor that was the difference.
" Jay Leno

I was beyond excited to receive this as a first reads giveaway,

Oral history books are usually amazing, and this one doesn't disappoint, It is much more than the title suggests, The contributors span from politicians and journalists to musicians and actors who remember the time and Kennedy himself vividly, They discuss not only where they were and what they remember of his assassination, but what they remember of his character and the incredible era in America that constituted his presidency.


Reading the stories of those who knew Kennedy and remember his assassination with the clarity of yesterday is powerful beyond words, More than a few of the stories gave me chills as I read them, There is representation of a wide array of opinions in this book, There are those who believe that Oswald acted alone and those who are certain there was a cover up,

What is amazing about this book is that there is no author interference, You can just listen to these people speak, absorb what they have to say, and then, if you want, make your own judgments, Reading the thoughts and feelings of so many people who were impacted by JFK's death was powerful, Some, I think, used it to spread their ideas and rant a bit, but that was to be expected, My parents remember vividly where they were when they heard the news, It's one of those moments in history where you will always remember where you were and how you felt, President Kennedy was and remains inspirational it's just one of those tragic times where we will always wonder "What if he had lived" When I was at the library, I walked right by this book at first.
It didn't seem like a book that I would interested in just a bunch of people talking about where they were when President Kennedy was shot, But for some reason I went back to look at it, and then I checked it out, I started to read it, and it surprised me, I have been busy with school and other things in my life, I get in the habit of starting a book and not completing it, and or getting distracted by another book.
But this book kept my interest, JFK has always been a fascinating historical figure to study, I didn't think that I would learn much about as I would be in just a general bio, but I

was wrong, I think that this book taught me that there are more then one method about learning about a person.
One of the best things I liked about this book is that to portray Kennedy as more then he is, the man was like everyone else, he did have his faults.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Kennedy or the assignation, The book goes into more then people just recounting where they were on that day, but there are intimate accounts from those who knew him personally, and they go into the conspiracy theories that surround his assassination.
I was not around for the Kennedy years, But I love reading about them, So this book was amazing, It's just cooler than most because it is from the point of view of people that were there, Not necessarily in Dealy Plaza, but by people who were alive at the time, From what I understand, the Kennedy assassination is like/in the way that everyone remembers exactly where they were and exactly what they were doing when they heard.
If you are all into all things Kennedy, . . this would be a great book to add to what you have read, This book gives insights on Kennedys assassination different from any Ive read before, Acquaintances of Oswald share their observations of him, One of the memories is from the widow of the police officer, There is the story of Oswalds capture, along with stories of Oliver Stones movie, There are a couple of sections that could have been omitted, such as the one by Robert DeNiro, Overall, this is a worthwhile read,
Jack Kennedy used the pictures to cover up what he was, He loved the glamour shots, He loved being handsome. He loved Jackie being beautiful, He loved all that photography, He loved the kids. He loved Macaroni the pony, I think he liked that idea because it created a certain thing he could manipulate and use, The inner Jack Kennedy was far less romantic and far tougher,

"Chris Matthews", from "Where Were You"

“Where Were You” is a collection of stories, told of the JFK assassination, his presidency, the conspiracy theories, and his legacy.
Most of the stories contain “the moment” that they had heard of that he had been shot, although not all of the testimonies are specific to the assassination.
Some of the folks were there in Dallas at the day that the assassination happened, but others were instead involved in Jim Garrison's investigation against Clay Shaw or just reflect on the overall Presidency and legacy of JFK and of their own experiences during that time.


Perhaps the most significant stories in the book were of the “unvarnished” John F, Kennedy. Some think back on the JFK legacy of the space program, his “New Frontier”, Peace Corps, and “Camelot”, but the stories that I found that the most meaning for me were the ones of JFK beneath his public persona.
His numerous affairs with women, his affliction from Addison's disease and his multiple back surgeries, He often had to wear crutches, and apparently one foot was longer than the other and he wore special shoes to correct the height difference, Moreover, his domestic agenda that included civil rights was stalled in Congress and he himself was somewhat lukewarm to civil rights if it was not for his brother, Bobby Kennedy.


I do not see these flaws as diminishing the legacy of JFK as it is often the case, it is best to consider the perfections and imperfections of a person, even those of our most popular leaders.
After his death, Lyndon Baines Johnson would continue the work on the Civil Rights Act, which he would later be able to pass into law,

The other stories that stood out were the ones of the man behind the rifle, Lee Harvey Oswald, Although he is not the focus of the book, the impressions of him given sprinkled in the narratives are oddly contradictory, If there were a multitude of perspectives on JFK, the President, the man and the myth, then the same can also be said of his assassin, Some think Lee Harvey Oswald was after the attention, some think he was a “loner” and an “angry man”, but still another remember him as a “hard worker”, “dedicated” and a man “not capable of an assassination” who played with the neighborhood children.
The man asks rhetorically “Did I really know the true Lee Oswald”

The same question, perhaps, can also be asked of JFK,
I was in fourth grade at Silverside Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, November,the day President John F, Kennedy was assassinated. For decades after, people would ask each other: "Where were you" Now Gus Russo and Harry Moses have asked that question of a historic lineup of more thanpeople.
And the answers are fascinating!

Those featured include people who were in Dallas on that tragic day, including Dan Rather and Marie Tippit the wife of slain police officer J.
D. Tippit politicians, including Bill Daley, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden those who were for and against the various conspiracy theories and celebritiesfrom John Glenn to Tom Hanks and Oliver Stone to Judy Collins.
Most of those interviewed had a personal connection to JFK, Some met him only once, while others were good friends,

Much discussed are the theories of who shot Kennedy, Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone Or was there a conspiracyand if so, who

This is a captivating, uniquely personal book with so many different answers to that one question: Where were you
This is the companion book to the NBChour documentary and contains thoughts about and reactions to the events of Novemberof various recognizable cultural and political figures.
I clearly remember where I was, and my mind recalls the sounds and sightsdown to the industrial green of the wallsof a high school classroom on that fateful day fifty years ago.
Where were you

From the Foreward by Tom Brokaw, . .
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, wealthy young aristocrat, war hero, and ladies' man, remains ageless in our memories and in the official and informal photographs from his presidency.
He was already preparing to run for a second term and beginning to muse on what he might do after eight years in the White House, We'll never know, of course, but his life and then his sudden, violent death remain an indelible part of our history,

I pretty much knew everything mentioned in this book from all the other books I've read, I really hoped to get a different perspective but that wasn't the case For those of us who lived through those pivotal days, this wideranging collection will be a nostalgic trip filled with deep and perhaps long forgotten emotions.
Most of the contributors an incredible diverse crosssection cover three aspects of that time: their personal connections if any with JFK and the Kennedy family the answer to the title filled out with their emotions and actions an appreciation, not always adulatory or even positive of Kennedy as a man and as a President done with candour and hindsight.


I loved and savoured this book, many times through a vale of tears as I reflected on my feelings at a moment in my life that like/colours my world.
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