American Confidential: Uncovering the Bizarre Story of Lee Harvey Oswald and his Mother

Synopsis

"Deanne Stillman's American Confidential takes the familiar and makes it new - makes it thrilling. You won't believe this story; it resonates with deep American echoes." - Darin Strauss, author of Chang & Eng On the 60th anniversary of the JFK assassination, a critically acclaimed writer presents an astonishing new account of one of the 20th century's most notorious assassins, Lee Harvey Oswald—and the mother who raised him . . . Was Lee Harvey Oswald—as he himself claimed—a patsy? A hired gunman? In this startling account, Deanne Stillman suggests that there was indeed a conspiracy behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy—that of Oswald and his mother, Marguerite, who were locked in a desperate pursuit of fame and recognition. It was a struggle that would erupt on November 22, 1963, with Kennedy&’s murder—after which the assassin joined the roster of infamous immortals, while his mother spent the rest of her life seeking the media limelight. American Confidential is a mother-son noir tale that plays out across the Wild West of mid-twentieth century America, delving into Oswald&’s nomadic boyhood, and the world of his restless and disillusioned mother, who passed along a legacy of class resentment and a clamorous need to matter. In this new and surprising investigation into the short, troubled life of the ordinary man who would take down an American king, Deanne Stillman also presents a fascinating portrait of Oswald as a predecessor of the many violent young men and boys of America today, who take selfies with their rifles, and have come to define a new era of brutality. Following in the tradition of Joan Didion and Charles Bowden, and continuing her celebrated exploration of America&’s shadowlands, Stillman recounts a haunting tale of the promise and failure of the American dream. It held Oswald in its grip until the very end. &“Some day,&” he once told his wife, &“I&’d like to have a son. Maybe he&’ll grow up to be president.&”

Copyright:

2023

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781685890698

Related ISBNs:

9781685890681

Publisher:

Melville House

Date of Addition:

11/14/23

Copyrighted By:

Deanne Stillman

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Social Studies

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.