Jim LehrerRezensionen

A no one person buys a Silver Star off eBay and wears it as his own. He decides to ?become a Marine?. A story of how this changes him and receiving his own medal for heroism.

59yr old may has midlife crisis. Buys $12,000 toy fire truck, Red Ryder BB gun, Chiefs helmet and an antique Cushman scooter sets off on the scooter.

(2005)Another very good book about an historian who stumbles upon documents that purport to show that Ben Franklin murdered the mother of his son William; and then there was a cover-up of this by the top Founding Fathers of the day. The story is really about plagiarism and how it is tolerated and encouraged among popular historical writers.

(2004)Very good tale that involves Birdie, who is found in the depths of KC's Union Station having claimed to lived there for 60 years. He had escaped from insane asylum in MO and his demon is having witnessed the Union Station Massacre in the 30s. Turns out he was a finger man for the mob and was hidden out in the asylum but he later escaped to live in the station.Washington PostEven though its epic scope spans all but a few years of the 20th century, Jim Lehrer's latest book, Flying Crows, is the almost painfully intimate story of a young man and a much older one who, for a brief time, were co-inmates at the Missouri State Hospital for the Insane at Somerset. This is the 14th novel for Lehrer, best known for anchoring the nightly "NewsHour" on PBS, and it's full of scenes and images that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.In 1997, just before restoration is about to begin on the old Union Station in Kansas City, the police are conducting a final inspection of the long-empty premises, and Lt. Randy Benton discovers an old man named Birdie Carlucci, who's been living in the terminal for the past 63 years.The book's plot tells how Birdie escaped from Somerset, how he got to the station and how he stayed there for so long. But as in most great novels, the story itself is only a small part of the richness, underscoring as it does the meanings of incarceration and escape, and delving deeply into the twisted logistics of America's official mindset regarding the mentally ill in the early part of the 1900s.The novel also tells the story of Joshua Alan Lancaster. He has been in the asylum since 1905, and when Birdie arrives in 1933, Josh senses in him a kind of sanity and innocence that drive the two together for reasons that will become apparent much later. Josh has been incarcerated because he witnessed a brutal massacre by Quantrill's Raiders in the small Missouri town of Centralia toward the end of the Civil War; the scenes of his retelling the story at an inmate's assembly are vivid and gripping. Birdie has been committed because he was present at a famous and deadly gangster vs. cop shootout at the old Union Station and became psychotic over it. Their common experience becomes the foundation of a touching and unshakable bond of understanding.As Randy Benton tries to piece together Birdie's story and find out who the old man in the train station really is, he uncovers more than he bargained for and gets an education as well.It's startling to realize that until a very few years ago state mental patients were treated in the way Lehrer describes -- watched over by attendants, known here as "bushwhackers," whose cruelty isn't sadistic or even particularly brutal, but almost casual. The inmates are soothed with long and pointless sessions in the bathtub, trussed up with leather straps, shocked by electric probes, tranquilized with padded baseball bats, threatened with death and vivisection; and always, every day, they rock endlessly on the porch in dark pine chairs that go bump . . . ta, bump . . . ta -- one of Lehrer's most potent and disturbing images.After their successful escape, however, Josh voluntarily returns to the asylum and Birdie hides alone in the train station for the rest of his life. There are all kinds of prisons. We learn much about the history of the Midwest -- both the Civil War massacre and the Kansas City shootout really happened -- as the action goes from one decade to another, bouncing back and forth from Josh's near-death in 1918, when he is saved by a doctor who is the asylum's only decent human being, to 1933 when the two inmates break out and stow away to Kansas City aboard the train known as the Flying Crow, and again to Randy Benton's investigation in 1997. The book's title refers not only to the train, but to the two men who, after tasting freedom, feel they have become as free as flying crows.Jim Lehrer's research into that history is impressive. Much more so, though, is Josh and Birdie's definition of freedom, and the author's insight into the prisons and asylums we all manage to construct for ourselves in our own minds.Reviewed by Les Roberts

Very good story of murder at the Battle of Antietam that leads to unintended consequences of revealing the truth about a how a war hero died.

pretty good but not as good as White Widow. Political ?thriller? about the confirmation of CIA director and what former agents resort to to make sure he is confirmed.

very good quirky novel about a bus driver who has fantasies about one of his passengers that leads to disaster.

In this novel Jim Lehrer weaves a fictional story around the actual events of November 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The protagonist, Jack Gilmore, is a reporter for the Dallas Tribune (aka The Dallas Times Herald where Lehrer worked) who meets Marti Van Walters, the daughter of Martin Van Walters, a former Secret Service agent, whose father is still guilt ridden year later over his decision to take the bubble top off of Kennedy’s limousine since the weather was sunny.

The novel is an interesting read as well as a quick read, coming in under 200 pages. The prose reads well, but because Lehrer is a former newspaper man and a reporter, the story reads more like a newspaper story than a novel. I never felt like I was reading a novel, but rather a factual story surrounding the assassination events. The characters are not well developed, due in large part to the story being presented mostly in a narrative format (like a newspaper story). I would have loved to see deeper development of Gilmore, Marti, and especially Martin Van Walters, since the whole point of the novel is ridding him of the guilt he has carried for so many years.

Unfortunately, Lehrer’s personal anti-war, and pro LGBTQ views are more than obvious in the book. I don’t care what Lehrer’s political or social views are, but I don’t want them shoved down my throat in a work of fiction. Just give me a good story.

Since the book revolves around an actual historical event, it is imperative that events mentioned in the book be totally accurate. Unfortunately, many facts stated in the book are not accurate. This is a cardinal sin for a former reporter to not fact check events in the book for accuracy. Just a few examples: Marti is a Dallas Cowboys fan and she mentions that in the 1963 game against Cleveland, Don Meredith threw two interceptions and had a fumble. Actually, Dandy Don had 4 interceptions and no fumbles. Also, Marti mentions that Eddie LeBaron was traded by Dallas at the end of the 1963 season. This is also incorrect. LeBaron retired at the end of the 1963 season and never played for any other team. One final example which is the most egregious. Van Walters describes Kennedy’s blood in the Zapruder film he watched as “a spray of red,” describing the final shot that struck Kennedy. He said it was red everywhere and kept repeating the word “red.” Actually, the film was in black and white, so there was no “red” anywhere in the film. Remember this was 1963 and Zapruder was using a home movie camera. Anyone who has seen the Zapruder film would know it was in black and white, not in color. These, as well as other inaccuracies in the book, reduced the overall rating I gave the book.

Personally, I cannot recommend the book. Not only does it not read as one would expect a novel to read, but the inaccuracies regarding events that actually occurred took me out of the story. As a reporter, Lehrer should know better, and have gotten his facts correct.

Fun read

A bus driver falls victim to his own fantasies about a beautiful woman who rides his bus.

A retired Methodist bishop sees a man in an airport who was responsible for the torture of himself and other pilots in WWII. The bishop follows and kills the man, much to his own shock and regret. A story about hate, forgiveness, passion, faith, and loyalty.

Tension City by the man himself, Jim Lehrer, gives us a true insider's look at the U.S. Presidential debates for the past half-century. Watching and listening to candidates going 1-on-1 against each other, the average voter can appreciate that it's not just where a candidate stands on issues, but how that candidate presents the arguments. So much of what makes a good president, or an extraordinary leader in other words, can be gleaned from a live debate. Nonsense you say? I say all the necessary information is right there in the presentation. Taking in both the verbal and non-verbal cues, one can get a sense of a candidate's future potential.

As a bonus if you happen to listen to the audiobook, Jim Lehrer narrates and 90% of the presidential quotes come directly from the live debates or from follow-up interviews with the candidates. Hearing a candidate's own voice is a historical treat, one that's impossible from the book alone.

Entertaining read--it's modern mystery with historical ties to the battle of Antietam. The family connections are a poorly devised plot tool (towards the end of the story), but it's still fun for a quick, mindless beach or traveling read.

The former Marine, ex clerk for Trailways bus Co, current top newsman for PBS also writes very good novels.

Would a plexiglas top on Kennedy's limousine have provided enough protection to deflect Oswald's bullets and save the president's life? This is one of those 'what-if' questions that could have haunted the person who made the decision, top up or top down? That fateful day had started out rainy but when the skies cleared Secret Service agent Van Walters made the decision to remove the bubble top from the limo.

Five years later Van Walters has been so consumed by guilt that he has suffered a physical and mental breakdown and has lost the will to live. His daughter, Marti, contacts Jack Gilmore, a young reporter who was there when the decision was made to remove the top. Would he help her convince her father it was not his fault? Jack agrees, but at the same time he is thinking this will make a great story and while agreeing to off-the-record discussions, really wants to get this story for his paper.

With the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination this past year, many new books both fiction and non-fiction have been written on the topic. For me the subject is as interesting as ever and when I read the description of this novel, I jumped at the chance to read it.

While this was a decent story and an easy read, it was not the page-turning historical thriller described in the synopsis. The writing was straight forward and sparse. I expect a little tension and some suspense in a thriller but there was none of that here. And I never formed a connection with any of the characters so by the end of the novel I was more interested in the resolution than what became of any of them. Perhaps I was expecting a little more depth from a novel by Jim Lehrer.

Some bus drivers can go their whole careers and never cross paths with the type of woman known as a 'White Widow'. A White Widow is a wild card; a woman traveling alone who can change the course of a driver's life, and not always for the best.

Jack T. Oliver has a solid marriage, a cozy home in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a job he loves - driving the Houston to Corpus Christi route - for the Great Western Trailways bus line. In a few weeks, Jack will be promoted to Master Operator in recognition of his many years of perfect service and punctual driving record. It may not be everyone's idea of the most exciting life - but it's comfortable, it's good, and it's Jack's.

That is until a White Widow boards his bus, on a one-way ticket from Victoria to Corpus Christi. Suddenly, Jack Oliver's otherwise orderly life is turned completely upside down. Within weeks, without ever even learning her name, the White Widow's passage through Jack's life has been as unforgettable as it has been irrevocable. His unstoppable, ruinous passion for a complete stranger will ultimately cost him dearly: in ways that Jack T. Oliver could never have predicted - not even in his wildest dreams.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure if I would have chosen this book to read for myself. It's not that I would have dismissed it, it's just that I never actually saw it until Mareena brought it to my attention. It was an unusual premise to begin with, so I was drawn into the story for that reason. The story was also extremely well-written and poignant, and it held my attention right up until the end.

Now, Jim Lehrer is a very successful journalist as well as an author; although in the past, both his father and himself worked as bus drivers. This novel is loosely based on the author's true experiences during his brief time spent as a bus driver. While the story was certainly interesting overall, the author's appreciable and, at times, intricate knowledge of bus transportation was sometimes lost on me. However, I would give this book a B+!

I liked this book; it was an enjoyable and quick read.

Top Down is a novel by Jim Lehrer of PBS about a newspaper writer in Dallas, Texas who assists a young woman in attempting to prove that her father is not responsible for the Kennedy assassination. Her father is dying of mental anguish because he thinks that he killed Kennedy because he ordered that the bubble top not be put on Kennedy's Lincoln on the day of the assassination.

I found this book to be very straight forward. It is so straight forward as to lack depth. Lehrer's writing is very straight-forward, what-you-see-is-what-you-get writing. This is ironic because his main character, Jack, is also a newsman who wants to be a novelist, and Lehrer has Jack mention several times that he admires Hemingway. Hemingway was best known for his iceberg theory on writing where the author should leave a lot unsaid. Reading Lehrer, one get the sense that nothing is left unsaid because the story is so thin that there isn't much to say.

Another problem with the novel is that Lehrer tries to create sexual tension between the main character and the college-aged woman that he is trying to help. This is presented through very clunky dialogue that seems almost like an older man's fantasy of what it would be like to flirt with a younger woman. None of it felt natural and all of it felt contrived. If Lehrer did not know how to present this aspect of their relationship in a natural and realistic way, he probably should have left it out.

Finally, I never found myself really caring whether a plexiglass top could have really saved JFK's life. The best literature has something to say about ourselves or society. This novel didn't have much to say about anything. Even as a cheap thriller, it wasn't that thrilling. Lehrer never convinced me to care.

With the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination this past month, I’ve heard many, many theories, personal stories, “What If’s?” One that grabbed my attention was a radio interview with Jim Lehrer…because his was a personal story (he was working at a Dallas newspaper that fateful day) combined with a “what if”. What if the bubble top HAD been on the car the president was riding in that day?

“Top Down” does a good job exploring the personal reactions of a Secret Service agent who is consumed with guilt about his part in that horrible day. How a seemingly minor decision may or may not have been a factor in what happened to the president – and then to the country. Agent Van Walters cannot let go of his fateful decision to have the top removed from JFK’s convertible, and starts to fall apart. Reporter Jack Gilmore, whose question about the top may have led to the decision, is enlisted by Van’s daughter to help.

“And so, I, too, became one of the many people connected to the Kennedy Texas trip who were plagued by varying levels of what-if guilt. A guilt that would stay with us forever.”

A guilt that then has an effect on his daughter and his wife. “I’m a ricochet in this little family drama, Jack. That’s what I am. The shrapnel hit Van front and center and then glanced off and came right at me.”

The book doesn’t go down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole or look at any other possible outcomes had Kennedy lived, but it does do a good job of looking at the impact of that day on people who may not have been considered before. A reporter asks a Secret Service agent a seemingly innocuous question…and possibly changed history.

“Yes, one man really did fire three rifle shots out a Dallas window in a few seconds and change the course of history – forever. For me, the fragility of what we all come to think of as order and normality has been the permanent lesson of the Kennedy assassination. Since that awful day we’ve known we are always only three shots away from chaos.”

Chaos as a country and as a society…and for those who will relive that day over and over again…and ask, “What if?”½

Sadly representative of the realities at the hands of the Japanese. Nanking, China, the documentary, further confirms these atrocities. Unfortunately there are books that will be written about what goes on today.

If you haven't had your fill of the Kennedy assassination already, Jim Lehrer's new novel might be for you.

The premise is simple, the Secret Service agent who ordered the plastic bubble top to be removed is racked with guilt. His daughter enlists the aid of a reporter to reenact the assassination with the top (not bullet proof) on to prove to her father that his order didn't change anything.

Simple is probably the key word here. Although I enjoyed the book - it was a quick read and an intriguing what if -it was more thana little lightweight.½

About the best thing I can say about this book is that it is a quick read so I didn't waste much time with it. The author is a respected newsman and I understand that this is his 21st novel. I would've expected much better.

On that infamous day, November 22, 1963, a Dallas newsman (in real life, Jim Lehrer, the author) asked a Secret Service agent whether the top on JFK's limo would be on or off. The agent asked someone about the weather downtown and, hearing that it was good and the rain had cleared, ordered it taken off. The rest is history.

In this novel, the agent who gave the order is overwhelmed by grief and guilt, his psychological problems akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, just won't go away and his physical health greatly declines. Thinking that he was responsible for JFK's death, he pushes away his family, his wife starts to drink, and his 15-year old daughter seemingly loses the family she knew as both of her parents change.

Five years later, the newsman who asked the agent about whether the limo's top would be on or off gives a speech about his guilt and that now 20-year old daughter contacts him. They decide to reenact the shooting, hoping to show that, if the limo's top had been on, JFK, Jackie, and both of the Connelly's would all be dead. Doing so, they hope, will save the father.

There's not much of a plot. The characters aren't developed. It's a boring book. Not at all recommended.

Top Down is a novel (novella) based on the life of one of the Secret Services men who were in charge of President Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas. It is the story of how this man's life changed so horribly in the aftermath of the Kennedy killing because of the guilt this man felt in having the president die on his watch. It is the story of how his daughter tries to bring her father back to life in the years following along with a reporter that was at the airport when the decision to take the bubble top off was made.

The story is well written and enjoyable as long as you remember that there is no historical basis on this book. It is not a history of what happened, although it gives insight into what the men and women in charge of protecting people would go through if they were to have someone under their guard were killed.

Read it as a story and not a history book and it is enjoyable. Think of it as a historical piece, and it lacks substance and believability. Good fast read.

Not one of Jim Lehrer's best. The basic plot seemed a bit farfetched even in these days of heightened awareness of PTSD. I still don't understand how Secret Service Agent Walters problem eventually resolved itself.½

I'm afraid this was a no winner for me. The author plays with a what if scenario, both re the Kennedy assassination and with the main character's life. Had a hard time finishing it even tho it was a quick read. I kept leaving the book to read other things, and had to force myself back.