Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot

Welcome School of Engineering to NYU!  I have now met with the 15 RAs from Othmer and Clark Halls from our newly merged Brooklyn campus.  What a great group of students.  I am very glad they have joined our team.  So now begins some RA Favorite Books by our future engineers so here we go….  The first book is Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.  I actually listened to this one while experiencing the “coldest” of NYC temperatures this winter, how fitting, a chilly tale of the tragic death of our 35^th President of the US.  The book chronicles the Kennedy’s family power and how son JFK rose to political power.  Other key focus areas of the book include his high sex drive, especially outside the marriage (with secretaries, family friends, and of course Marilyn Monroe), his impeccable way he approached his job, creation of his “inner circle”; his hidden illnesses (back, Addison’s disease), and his role in defending the US against communism (Cuban missile crisis, Russian standoff, and Bay of Pigs).  Kennedy’s Presidency also was challenged by the Civil Rights movement, changing social times, and whether a Catholic could guide the country.  O’Reilly, yes the Fox TV talk show host, adds his bluntness and opinions throughout the book.  The remaining portions of the book focus on how Lee Harvey Oswald’s anger grew over the years and eventually led to him getting a clear line of view to shoot the President.   For historical buffs, you’ll especially enjoy this one.  Kennedy really changed the role of Presidency to be a person who is accessible to the American people.  Good and relatively quick read.