An Unfinished Love Story

 

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin 480 pp.

This book was fascinating to me since, while I remembered the major events of the 1960s, I was a child during that time (the assassination of JFK happened when I was in kindergarten). I have read other books by Doris Kearns Goodwin but was not familiar with her husband, Richard Goodwin, a man who was so instrumental in the world of Democratic politics in the 1960s. When her husband reached his 80s the two of them began go through his stored files of his work and memorabilia of his days in Washington as a  clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. Then as counsel for the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce where he investigated the television quiz show scandals of the 1950s. (Goodwin was portrayed by actor Rob Morrow in the 1994 film "Quiz Show.") After that he became one of the speechwriters and advisors for Senator John Kennedy during his campaign for the Presidency. Kennedy appointed him Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs where he tried to discourage Kennedy from ordering the Bay of Pigs operation. Goodwin aided the First Lady in many tasks most notably in the relocating of Egyptian temples that would have been flooded by the Aswan Dam project. He was also instrumental in the planning of the dinner for Nobel Prize winners (Dinner in Camelot) and finally arranging for the eternal flame Jackie Kennedy requested for her husband's grave. Following Kennedy's death Goodwin became Secretary General of the Peace Corp until he accepted a job with President Lyndon Johnson where he was credited with writing some of LBJ's most important and effective speeches before resigning because of differences over the Vietnam War. After some work in academia, Goodwin, ever against the war in Vietnam, joined Eugene McCarthy's campaign for President leaving when his friend Bobby Kennedy decided to run after LBJ announced he would not seek re-election. Upon Kennedy's assassination in Los Angeles, Goodwin went back to the McCarthy campaign. Following those years he taught and wrote, producing articles, books, and a play. He married Doris Kearns, who had worked with LBJ on his memoir, in 1975 and they were married until his death in 2018. I learned so much from this book. I never knew that LBJ pushed the Fair Housing Bill through Congress on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination or how much friction existed between LBJ and Bobby Kennedy. And I didn't know anything about the man, Richard (Dick) Goodwin. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author.

Five Days in November

Five Days in November by Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin  243 pp.

Clint Hill is the Secret Service agent know as the man who jumped on the back of President Kennedy's limousine after Kennedy was shot. Hill's reason for his actions were to protect the First Lady who was his charge. He already knew the President was fatally injured from his vantagepoint in the Secret Service car following the limo. In this book he recounts that fated trip to Texas almost minute by minute. He also explains what made this trip a nightmare for the Secret Service even before the shooting. Kennedy's insistence on riding in an open car in multiple motorcades through thousands of onlookers essentially made the President a sitting duck target for anyone wanting to do him harm. Frequent stops to allow the crowd to shake hands with JFK and Jackie added to the hazards. Hill doesn't gloss over the the gory details including his viewing of the President's head wound. As he was trained, Hill's account is factual and mostly unemotional (except where the emotions are wholly appropriate). I appreciate Agent Hill's account of an event that occurred when I was in kindergarten but was unforgettable even for a five year old.  

The Cellist

 The Cellist by Daniel Silva 471 pp.

Even though I impatiently wait for the new Gabriel Allon books to be released, somehow I started but never finished this one. Maybe because all the veiled references to the then U.S. President and his criminal buddy, the Russian president. After the nerve agent poisoning of Viktor Orlov, an exiled Russian who once saved Allon's life, Gabriel is drawn into the investigation with British Intelligence. Believing the Brits are on the wrong track, Allon enlists the help of a talented young woman who worked for the dirtiest German bank, notorious for it's money laundering and other illegal activities. They set up a multi-billion dollar sting operation to catch the oligarch and childhood friend of the Russian president. The book ends with the inauguration of the new U.S. President following the insurrection at the Capitol when the Russians make one more attempt to eliminate Gabriel Allon. Following the novel is a chapter of commentary by Silva on the Trump attempts at overthrowing the election which he lost.   

Spy x Family vols. 7 and 8

 Spy x Family vols. 7 and 8 by Tatsuya Endo, 416 pages.

I finally got back to finish up the currently available volumes of this series and it was, as always, a delight. Volume 7 was mostly short little stories and a lot of slice-of-life chapters, which was of course fun and cute. But I think volume 8 might be one of my favorites to date. The whole volume is focused on one story as the whole family ends up on a cruise ship. Lloyd and Anya won a drawing and Lloyd has to figure out how to turn off master-spy Twilight and just have a relaxing vacation. Meanwhile, we finally learn more about Yor's assassin work and get to see her and action (and finally learn something about the organization she works for!). The plot was engaging and fun, and it feels like the series is really hitting it's stride. Unfortunately, now that I'm caught up I'm going to have to wait for new volumes to come out, and if they keep going like this that's not going to be easy!

The Royal Art of Poison

The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman  304 pp.

Royalty throughout the world feared assassination by poison. They employed servants to taste their food, check their clothing and bedding, and even their chamber pots. While many did succumb to poisoning by their enemies, many were poisoned by elements of their daily lives. Toxins and filth in in their homes were prevalent, including excrement in the hallways and corners. The medical profession was more likely to cause harm than good with their potentially deadly concoctions. Even commonly used cosmetics and beauty regimens could have deadly effects. Mercury, Arsenic, Lead, and other toxins were rubbed on skin and taken internally. The last section of the book chronicles actual poisonings of prominent persons and how they suffered and died. In spite of the grim topic this book is alternately cringeworthy and amusing while being informative.

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman, 753 pages.

Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, presents a detailed, and well-indexed history of the Israeli government's evolving program of assassinations. Targets have varied over the years from very specific individuals, with layers of approval necessary, to the "Grass Widow" method that at times seems like "anyone within a given area with a gun is a target."
It was amazing to see how many future Prime Ministers were involved in the various incarnations of these programs, from Menachem Begin as commander of the Irgun, to former paratrooper Ariel Sharon as IDF commander, and then Defense Minister, to Yitzhak Rabin as defense minister.
From letter bombs (which almost never worked), to the failed tracking a terrorist to Oslo which resulted in the  gunning down the wrong man, to the carefully planned, but almost comically botched poisoning of Khaled Mashal in Jordan right outside of the Hamas offices, the Mossad and Shin Bet were not always as successful as their reputation would indicate.
The more recent methods involving computers, drones, decoys, and shooting blinds seem to be more effective and have a quicker response time, but the morality is perhaps even murkier. This interesting, and provocative book raises many questions.

Bobby Kennedy: a Raging Spirit

Bobby Kennedy: a Raging Spirit / Chris Matthews, 396 p.

I very much enjoyed this biography, and learned more than I thought I would, although I still don't know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried.  Matthews' writing reads like it's from a teleprompter, which is less disturbing than I would have supposed.  He does a good job of illustrating the arc of Kennedy's development from the law and order enforcer of JFK and dear friend of Joseph McCarthy to the Vietnam War-hating Civil Rights-crusading loose cannon presidential candidate of his last days.  Not exactly hagiography but definitely a friendly portrait.  I'd like to follow up by reading Michael Eric Dyson's What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation about Race in America.