Libra - Don Delillo

[Tracy]

This is a speculative novel, based on what was known about Lee Harvey Oswald and his role in the JFK assassination. It brings in the grassy knoll theory, along with several of the other conspiracy theories that have flown around since 11/22/63. This one pulls in former American intelligence trying to keep Cuba from going Communist. And Oswald was supposed to miss. (This is on the cover of the book, so not a spoiler!)
The writing was spectacular. Delillo has a straightforward style that is engaging and easy to read.
Unfortunately, and I apologize to those who love this stuff, I couldn’t get into the book, because the details were just too much. The kind of gun, where the bullets were purchased, all the minutiae that my husband and historians love, just bores me.
And, honestly, the intrigue surrounding the Kennedy assassination isn’t as interesting to me as it is to my parents’ generation. I wasn’t born yet, and while I understand the historical impact, its effect on me isn’t as personal.
I do think this is an essential read for anyone who loves detailed speculative fiction and the JFK assassination.

[Kristel]

Libra by Don DeLillo is a 1988 book. Don Delillo is a post modernist author. This is his 9th book. Libra is a retelling of the assasination of JFK by Lee Harvey Oswald.. This book will make you believe the conspiracy theories. Not sure of my rating yet. The story is the life of Oswald from childhood as a bullied, disadvantaged youth with dyslexia. The assasination, dreamed up after the Bay of Pigs to promote anti Cuban opinion and push America back into conflict with Cuba was dreamed up by disgruntled CIA agents was meant to fail. This book has a lot of espionage in it. It also has a parrallel story of the man who has been assigned to review all the data that has been collected about the assasination and write the history of the assasination

Rating 3.8 stars

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads]

4 stars

Libra by Don DeLillo is a work of speculative fiction, or alternative history, which tells the story of the assassination of President Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald. Sort of. This is book that is based on the premise that Oswald was part of a conspiracy with the CIA, and was hired to kill the president. DeLillo wrote a convincing story that could easily convince a reader to believe in conspiracy theories. This one talks about the Bay of Pigs and surrounding anti-Cuban sentiments, the U2 spy missions, and loads of espionage. This book is filled with actual history intertwined seamlessly with the speculative history created by the author. It all fits so well together that I found myself turning to Google often.

[Diane]

Rating: 4 stars


DeLillo is not one of my favorite authors and it has been a struggle to get through his books. This is the last of his list books for me and also my favorite.

This book explores the story of Lee Harvey Oswald and of the conspiracy relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I am not a fan of conspiracy theories, but I thouht this was well-exectuted and researched.