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Stephen King's new novel, 11/22/1963


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Bring back James Ellroy!

Yes! In fact, I think he's got one more book due in his Kennedy trilogy, along with AMERICAN TABLOID and

THE COLD SIX THOUSAND.

I don't exactly buy Ellroy's Mob/KKKer/Rogue-CIA version of the JFK assassination, but the treachery his

characters betray is spot on, imo.

Edited by Cliff Varnell
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Yes! In fact, I think he's got one more book due in his Kennedy trilogy, along with AMERICAN TABLOID and

THE COLD SIX THOUSAND.

While I don't remember the title, the book came out last year. I thought it was a let down compared with the other two.

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Yeah - the third part seemed hastily written and it wasn't as well reviewed. I liked parts 1 and 2, which took Ellroy out of Los Angeles for once and kind of opened him up. Liking these books, I suspect, aren't good for our credibility here, though. But - lighten up, and do the Tighten-Up with James Ellroy.

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The title roved away from me. I felt like he let down his tough-guy heroes in that book, including Pete Bondurant.

You can look online for interviews where Ellroy says he was inspired by Don DeLillo's superior JFK fiction, Libra. But I was haunted by Bondurant at the end of the first Ellroy book, and imagined for the first time that there were left-out spooks and wiseguys sitting around Dallas that day saying to themselves, "Damn...I was benched."

Here's a quote from wiki that will surely outrage some people:

"In 2008, Daily Variety reported that HBO, along with Tom Hanks's production company, Playtone, were developing Tabloid and Six Thousand (and, presumably after publication, Blood's a Rover) for either a mini-series or ongoing series. Screenwriter Kirk Ellis is drafting a screenplay for the potential series."

Edited by David Andrews
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  • 6 months later...

From marketwatch.com:

PRESS RELEASE Sept. 26, 2011

Days After His Latest Book 11/22/63 Hits Store Shelves, Author Stephen King Hosts Fundraiser Benefiting The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza; Tickets Go on Sale October 5

DALLAS, Sep 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas. If you had the chance to change history, would you?

Stephen King's latest novel 11/22/63, on shelves November 8, addresses this very scenario as the book's main character travels back in time on a mission to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy.

"I tried to write this book in 1972 but it was too emotionally raw then," King said. "Nearly 40 years later, exploring The Sixth Floor Museum and learning from staff there was critical in helping the book come together."

In what is expected to be a sell-out event, King will be front and center at a fundraiser at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas on Thursday, November 10, benefiting The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The program begins at 7 p.m.

There will be an exclusive reception featuring the author at 5:45 p.m. followed by an interview with King at 7 p.m. The conversation will be facilitated by Dallas columnist and broadcaster Lee Cullum.

Tickets are required and go on sale Wednesday, October 5 at 9:00 a.m. CT. Tickets range from $40 to $250.

To learn more about the event or to purchase tickets, visit www.showclix.com/event/stephenking . Or, call 1.888.718.4253. Phone assistance available M-F 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT.

While Dallas is one of five stops on the 11/22/63 book tour, it is the only city in which King will participate in a fundraiser. Very seldom does he make public appearances.

According to King, "I chose them because touring the Depository was vital for the book, and everyone - from Gary Mack on down - was so helpful."

About the Museum

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy; interprets the Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza; and presents contemporary

culture within the context of presidential history. Located at 411 Elm Street in downtown Dallas, the Museum is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday and 12 to 6 p.m. Monday. Audio guides for the permanent exhibit are available in seven languages,

and a youth version is available in English. For more information, visit www.jfk.org or call 214-747-6660.

SOURCE:

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Liza Collins, 214-747-6660 ext. 5550

PR & Advertising Manager

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/days-after-his-latest-book-112263-hits-store-shelves-author-stephen-king-hosts-fundraiser-benefiting-the-sixth-floor-museum-at-dealey-plaza-2011-09-26

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I've never understood the popularity of Stephen King. I think he's a great deal like Isaac Asimov- producing proflic pablum with no redeeming quality. His stuff is McLiterature, imho. Years ago, he offended many aspiring writers when he pulled off a publicity stunt and was published under his real name by a major publisher. To those of us who spent years piling up the rejection notices, and who realize that most queries are not even read by the big publishers, this was a complete joke. King actually poured salt in our wounds by publicly lambasting the hordes of unpublished authors, claiming that the publishing world is a meritocracy, and that if one has talent, it will be discovered. Yes, I'm quite sure no one knew your real name, Stephen....

So it doesn't surprise me one bit that this conventional liberal Democrat, like all his political peers, swallows the impossible lone assassin myth. King is a Baby Boomer, loves the Red Sox, and almost certainly must have been a huge fan of JFK. If he set out to write a story centered around the Kennedy assassination, it's inconceivable that he wouldn't have done some homework on the issue. It's also inconceivable that he wouldn't be fully aware of all the controversy surrounding the subject, and the countless pro-conspiracy books written about it. Somehow, he must have neglected to read any of them. Maybe he contacted Tom Hanks, who directed him to Bugliosi's ridiculous book.

It's fortunate, at least in this case, that most people don't read books any more. Thus, there won't be quite as many hapless readers swayed over to the dark side by King's new book. It's sad, however, to think that some will. King still has a loyal cadre of fans, who unquestionably will perceive this issue as he does after reading their hero's take on it.

Needless to say, I won't be reading this book.

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The title roved away from me. I felt like he let down his tough-guy heroes in that book, including Pete Bondurant.

You can look online for interviews where Ellroy says he was inspired by Don DeLillo's superior JFK fiction, Libra. But I was haunted by Bondurant at the end of the first Ellroy book, and imagined for the first time that there were left-out spooks and wiseguys sitting around Dallas that day saying to themselves, "Damn...I was benched."

Here's a quote from wiki that will surely outrage some people:

"In 2008, Daily Variety reported that HBO, along with Tom Hanks's production company, Playtone, were developing Tabloid and Six Thousand (and, presumably after publication, Blood's a Rover) for either a mini-series or ongoing series. Screenwriter Kirk Ellis is drafting a screenplay for the potential series."

What the heck! If Tom and Gary's goal with Reclaiming History is to clear up what happened with the assassination, how can they justify putting Ellroy's books on screen, when they undoubtedly support conspiracy theories? I guess they don't really care as much as they claim, and are just looking for ways to stir things up and make money...

As far as Ellroy, I missed the last one... If I had written the trilogy, I'd have had Bondurant--who bears some resemblance to Maheu--come to realize that he'd been used by Howard Hughes and Nixon to create a new world order where big business, organized crime, the CIA, and the White House are one and the same, and join forces with the sole remaining brother--little Teddy--to smash it all to pieces.

In this take, the Watergate investigation is The Return of the Jedi.

P.S. Who knows? Maybe there's some truth to it? It's fairly clear that Nixon was worried about Maheu's relationship with O'Brien, and it's also likely Teddy was pulling strings from behind the scenes of the Watergate investigation.

Edited by Pat Speer
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I've never understood the popularity of Stephen King.

I never understood either

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:lol:

Me neither,(fornit some fornus) Dean!

I have never read one of King's books. I prefer "literature." I just re-read Mrs. Dalloway, and some short stories of Flannery O'Connor.

At the moment I am reading John McAdams book, JFK Assassination Logic. It is an enjoyable read especially if you do not feel threatened by an intelligent fellow who is able to make strong arguments in support of the Warren Commission. I am also reading Enduring Violence: Ladino Women's Lives in Guatemala by Cecilia Menjivar. I have commented elsewhere that McAdams is a courteous critic of chameleon witnesses and many conspiracy theorists and avoids the bombast and ad hominem of Bugliosi.

In all likelihood, I will read this King novel, and enjoy it no matter what stance he takes on the assassination controversy.

Then I will re-read Henry James' What Maisie Knew and look forward to the upcoming movie starring Alexander Skarsgård and Julianne Moore.

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Guest Tom Scully

Peter, speaking of Flannery O'Connor, I stumbled upon this last week and I found it interesting. Her ancestral home has been opened to the public.

http://andalusiafarm.org/andalusia/andalusia.htm

I think I got there because her name came up related to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his daughter, Scottie. I was surprised she (Scottie) was so close to this CIA man and his father, although I knew Harold was F. Scott's literary agent and much, much, more.:

http://fitzgerald.narod.ru/bio/scottie-foreword_asever.html

by Scottie Fitzgerald Smith

Harold Ober, born circa 1881, was a rare and precious human being. I should know, because I lived with him for four years during World War II; shared his anguish every morning as we turned on the radio, hoping neither of his two sons (nor my husband) was involved in some new parachute landing in Europe or Pacific island invasion; walked with him through the woods every morning from his enchanting house to the Scarsdale railroad station; learned everything I know about music from him—Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev were his favorite composers at the time, though his wife, Anne, tells me that later he preferred Gustav Mahler to them all; and played terrible tennis with him on the court belonging to our neighbors, Bob Haas of Random House and his wife Merle, our closest family friends. Though I didn't know it at the time, it was Bob who had lent “Gramps,” as I called him for some long-forgotten reason, the money to see my father through during the depression years.....

....My reluctance to be sent to Dromore Road, when all the teen-age action was in Baltimore where my friends were, was matched only by the reluctance of the Ober boys—Richard, my own age, now the most responsible of government officials and owner of a small farm of his own in the country outside Washington, D.C., and Nathaniel, two years younger, now a superintendent of schools in Minneapolis —to accept this “instant sister” who had been thrust upon them....

I read the adjective you posted to describe McAdams, and I also read the musings of McAdams more often than I should.:

http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2011/07/obamas-pandering-to-muslim-world-has.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligent

Definition of INTELLIGENT

1

a : having or indicating a high or satisfactory degree of intelligence and mental capacity b : revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought : skillful

2

a : possessing intelligence b : guided or directed by intellect : rational

I think you unintentionally flatter McAdams. He knows what he is doing, it is planned, it is intentional, it is a record of propagandizing on many subjects and in instances too great a number to tally. All of it is intensely political propaganda.

Edited by Tom Scully
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