Mel Ayton

The Kennedy Assassinations brings a number of Mel Ayton's essays on the conspiracy theories surrounding these assassinations together.

While this is a debunking of those conspiracy theories it is also a look at how and why conspiracy theories take hold. In a far more understanding manner than many who try to counter these theories (any conspiracy theories) Ayton first acknowledges why part of the population might be susceptible. I think this serves a couple of functions. First, if a reader is leaning toward believing them, it doesn't make them feel like they are being called stupid for doing so. Second, it highlights the areas in society that we might be able to work on so fewer people would feel that there were so many conspiracies, or one very large one, against them.

The fact this is a collection of essays from different times has both positive and negative aspects. The main negative, and it isn't a particularly big one, is that there is some repetition. This is, however, necessary since each essay/chapter is a self-contained argument, so points need to be mentioned. Which leads directly to the main positive, these can be read as just that, separate essays. While put together in book form they make a more complete argument, each is a complete argument of some aspect of the conspiracy theories. When I read the chapter titles to a friend, she immediately wanted to read "Hypnotized Assassin?" before any other, it was a theory that she found interesting even if she didn't believe it.

Some refutations of the various conspiracy ideas over the years have been almost as convoluted as the alleged conspiracies themselves. One of Ayton's strengths is in pointing out some of the most basic, and strongest, counter arguments. No doubt those who are fully invested in their theories will still resist, but those who simply want the truth (as close as we can get, anyway) will see just how unlikely all of the things that would have had to fallen into place for these theories to work are.

Will this book dispel any notion of some kind of clandestine plan? Probably not. But after this I would think most people would limit their ideas to something far more basic, with fewer people involved (really, how good do people keep secrets anyway?), and not tied into some worldwide time-spanning conspiracy.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (altro)