Where Were You? America Remembers the JFK Assassination by Gus Russo

Where Were You? America Remembers the JFK Assassination Reviews

• 
  Rachel

  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.
• 
  Kathy McC

  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."
  
  "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 21, 1963 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
  
  
• 
  Nancy

  This book gives insights on Kennedy’s assassination different from any I’ve 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 Oswald’s capture, along with stories of Oliver Stone’s 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

  
  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.
  
• 
  Doug Tabner

  This could have easily rated 5 stars. All they needed to do was to omit the final 1/3 or so of the book, when they stopped treating the assassination as a historical event and begin treating it as a pop culture phenomena.
  
  The beginning gives voice to people you usually don't hear from; Ruth Paine, with whom Marina was living. The guy who gave Oswald a ride to the depository on 11/22. The "smaller" players in the tragedy. Those were highly fascinating.
  
  Then it moves on to more famous personalities, people who were either close to Kennedy or were higher ups in the government. Again, fascinating.
  
  But then we move on to the section labelled, generously, "Culture." Some of the people were mildly interesting, Tom Hanks comes to mind. But others had nothing to do with the assassination and never knew JFK. I like Robert DeNiro, but his space in this book was completely irrelevant. I don't care what Jane Fonda thinks about anything at all, let alone something of such historical significance as JFK's murder. Same with Chris Matthews (though he was in an earlier section.) Oliver Stone's contribution was, unsurprisingly nothing but a long rant about conspiracies.
  
  I don't recommend giving up on books half way through, and I stuck with this until the bitter end. Having said that,I couldn't blame anyone who read the first half of this and then put it down and started their next book.
• 
  Becky

  I have a terrible weakness for books (or almost anything) on the JFK assassination. This book gathers 50 perspectives based on the premise that everyone remembers 'where they were' when they heard that Kennedy had been shot.
  
  The first section (and my favorite--the only one I would recommend) was Dallas. We hear reflections from: Buell Frazier who drove Oswald to work at the book depository on November 22. Marie Tippets, the wife of Officer Tippets (who was also shot and killed by Oswald). Robert Grossman, the neurologist who was called to examine JFK and (also Oswald) at Parkland hospital. Ray Hawkins who became suspicious of Oswald and followed him into the Texas theater and alerted police. Ruth Haynie who was friends (and with) Oswald's wife at the time of the shooting. All of these were important stories with key details I did not know.
  
  My least favorite sections were the political and controversial sections. They lose steam, become long, boring and repetitive. My motivation to read was just the desire to finish it.
  
  Most of those profiled summed up Kennedy as charismatic. A good President, but not a great one, and that the high point was his handling of the Cuban missile crisis. They speculate he would have ended the Vietnam war sooner. Most also assert that Oswald acted alone and this moment in history was a 'loss of innocence' for the country.
  
• 
  Cathryn Conroy

  I was in fourth grade at Silverside Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, November 22, 1963--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 than 50 people. 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 celebrities--from 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 conspiracy--and if so, who?
  
  This is a captivating, uniquely personal book with so many different answers to that one question: Where were you?
  
• 
  Julie

  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.
• 
  Nicole Overmoyer

  The most fascinating part of this collection of memories of the JFK assassination is the first section in which people who were in Dallas or knew the Kennedys or the Oswalds remember the event. That's fascinating.
  
  What Steven Spielberg and Bill Clinton and Robert DeNiro remember is all well and good but it's not really relevant to the larger picture of what America remembers because, and this is the cynic in me speaking, no one would consider them in terms of what "America remembers" if they hadn't got famous.
  
  A more interesting collection of stories, or even addition to this collection, would have been to random ask average people across America what they remember. I know my own parents have told me again and again what they remember from that day. That's what I'd really want to read, after the recollections of those were were involved.
  
  (I received my copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.)
• 
  Marcia

  This is the companion book to the NBC 2-hour documentary and contains thoughts about and reactions to the events of November 1963 of various recognizable cultural and political figures. I clearly remember where I was, and my mind recalls the sounds and sights--down to the industrial green of the walls--of 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.
  
  
• 
  Christopher Fox

  For those of us who lived through those pivotal days, this wide-ranging collection will be a nostalgic trip filled with deep and perhaps long forgotten emotions. Most of the contributors (an incredible diverse cross-section) cover three aspects of that time: their personal connection(s) (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 9/11 colours my world.
• 
  Julie

  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 9/11 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.
• 
  Jennifer

  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?"
• 
  Kathleen

  This was a great book! I will definitely attempt to incorporate it into my curriculum as a American History/Cultural Studies teacher. What a great way to illustrate perspective and the impact on a single event on the lives of people from all walks of life. I will definitely be recommending this book!!
• 
  Edy

  Excellent book about one of the most life-altering 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. 22, 1963. I particularly enjoyed the different perspectives presented in the book. I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Harolyn Legg

  A collection of recollections from various Americans on what they were doing when John Kennedy was killed.
  
• 
  Cara Gerster

  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