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Jeff Greenfield is a senior analyst and anchor for CNN.

Opere di Jeff Greenfield

Opere correlate

On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures (1989) — Collaboratore — 112 copie
The Best American Political Writing 2002 (2002) — Collaboratore — 27 copie

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I was surprised to see this listed as a four star rating. This is, as the title states, a look at what possibly could have happened had JFK survived the assignation attempt. The book begins with the trip to Dallas on a rainy day. The bubble shield is on the limo. As the car makes the turn past the book depository, shots ring out and the bubble top explodes in pieces. A bullet hits Kennedy in the spine. A hurried drive to Parkland Hospital with an invasive surgery, allow the polls to increase, and a temporary hero is back in the White House.

Kennedy's injuries add to his already compromised spinal health, but he can walk. From there on we see a president who is physically, emotionally weak. Kennedy pays a high price in lack of southern support because of his pro-civil rights legislation.

Living with the fact that his terrible mistake in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba is a thorn in his side when he seeks another term. His ensuing decisions not to take pro- active stances regarding war label him a soft candidate when he runs for his second term.

Kennedy's meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna showed him as an ill-prepared weakling resulting in the Berlin wall. As Kennedy's personal life spins out of control his sexual liaison are now fodder for the a media no longer willing to look the other way.

Overall, I can't recommend this book. It was dry, pedantic and uninteresting.
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
Whisper1 | 15 altre recensioni | Jan 16, 2018 |
Questa recensione è stata scritta per Recensori in anteprima di LibraryThing.
Beginning with the fateful change from recorded history of using a protective bubble top for President Kennedy's limousine in Dallas on November 22, 1963, the book follows plausible actions by Kennedy and others intersecting with actual events to create a believable, although workmanlike, alternate history. We follow Kennedy into his second term, where he accomplishes many things (perhaps too smoothly), but a scandal arises, based on his known infidelities, that threatens to derail his second term.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
mponte | 15 altre recensioni | May 30, 2016 |
NOTE: I have categorized this as Nonfiction, even though the alternate histories are fictional, because of the solid layer of facts underlying the speculation.

Substance: Grenfield certainly knows his subjects (was a player himself) and also incorporates much of what was secret at the time and later revealed (published 2011).
Don't read this unless you really know the subject, or don't care to separate fact (and its spin) from fiction from speculation.

His preference for Robert Kennedy and Gary Hart as "presidents" does not blind him totally to their flaws (in fact, one major theme is that the disasters that overtook some men in reality were in the wings for others; don't want to get too more detailed because, spoilers).
He caught me one time: I didn't believe the media actually did turn on Teddy Kennedy when he campaigned for prez. That may have been an object lesson for them later during Clinton's debacle. The scenarios are all plausible (despite the wish fulfillment aspects) and contain a number of humorous jabs.

Style: This is for the serious poli-wonk, who is comfortable reading (non)fiction details about politicians and policy.
One major complaint (Greenfield is not the only transgressor but the habit irritates me a lot). After a long section on one person, he starts the next section and runs for several long paragraphs on pronouns only, leaving the subject in "suspense" -- but it's unnecessary and annoying.
Note that the three scenarios are totally independent, not cumulative changes. All the fictional changes are "reset" for the succeeding campaign and reign.

2015-04-11 Stuart Schneiderman's blog "Had Enough Therapy?"
http://stuartschneiderman.blogspot.com/2015/04/can-anyone-change-course-of-histo....
… (altro)
 
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librisissimo | 7 altre recensioni | Apr 11, 2015 |
Questa recensione è stata scritta per Recensori in anteprima di LibraryThing.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I've been a fan of alternate history books (the books by Turtledove are a favorite) for some time, and am glad that I've had the opportunity to add this book to my library. The direction this topic went was very plausible and it was fun to consider the "what if's". I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in JFK or in alternative history.
 
Segnalato
CharlesSvec | 15 altre recensioni | Oct 30, 2014 |

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Statistiche

Opere
15
Opere correlate
2
Utenti
666
Popolarità
#37,863
Voto
½ 3.5
Recensioni
26
ISBN
32

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