Top Down by Jim Lehrer

Top Down by Jim Lehrer The premise for Top Down is a "what-if" question. What if the bubble top on the car in which JFK was riding in the Dallas motorcade in which he was assassinated had not been removed by a Secret Service Agent? The Secret Service had ordered the top removed because the earlier inclement weather had passed, and JFK preferred as many people as possible could view him without the visual obstruction of the bubble top. Had the top been left in place, would JFK's life been spared by the plexiglass bubble serving to stop the bullets Oswald shot from the book depository OR would the bullets have penetrated the top, possibly killing everyone inside the car?

Jack Gilmore, a reporter for the Dallas Tribune is approached by Mardi Walters, daughter of Secret Service Officer, Van Walters, to help her in performing an experiment replicating the shooting. It's 5 years after JFK was murdered, and Agent Van Walters holds himself personally responsible for the successful assassination attempt. He believes if the top had remained in place, JFK would have survived because he would have been shielded from the bullets. Reporter Jack Gilmore was at the site when the decision was made by Van Walters to remove the plexiglass, and he remembers the aftermath when questions were asked about who ordered the top to be removed. Now, these 5 years later, Van Walters has become unable to function either at work or in his personal life because of his crushing guilt over Kennedy's death. Daughter Mardi believes that because Gilmore was present that day he is best suited to help her recreate the situation. Against his better judgment, Gilmore agrees to help on an "off the record" agreement meaning he will be unable to use any information he gets from the Walters family in writing an article for his newspaper about this experiment, or even more important to Gilmore, writing an entire book about the experience.

This forms the basis for, what was for me, a very disappointing book. I'd not read any of Jim Lehrer's books before, but I was certainly aware of his presence as a PBS news personality. So it was particularly shocking to me to see the very amateurish writing skills exhibited in the ARC I read. Not only was the writing poor and often very awkward during conversations between the characters, but for someone who has published as many books as Mr Lehrer has, the story itself was poorly done. For me, it never became even remotely relevant. Never mind the time frame of the book, we are now nearly at the 50 year anniversary of Kennedy's death. Is anyone still debating questions about the judgment in removing the bubble top. Seriously?? Wouldn't that question been asked and answered about a bazillion times in all the conspiracy debates? Wouldn't someone have been able to replicate the event in their own backyard and shared conclusions with the public at large years and years ago?

I can't recommend this book to anyone. I learned nothing new about the Kennedy assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Lyndon Johnson, or any of the other main participants in the event. Since there are scant details included about the crime that shattered the USA, I can't recommend the book based on historical significance either. As a result I'm giving this book a 2 Star Review.

I was given an ARC for this book from Net Galley in return for which I agreed to do an honest review.

The Courtroom Massacre by Mark Porto

The Courtroom Massacre by Mark Porto

In the movie Funny Farm, Andy Farmer quits his job as a sports writer so he and his school teacher wife, Elizabeth can move to the small town of Redbud, Vermont. They buy a picturesque little farm where Andy plans to pursue his dream of writing a novel. Shortly after they move to Redbud, the Farmers celebrate their wedding anniversary; Andy takes Elizabeth into town for dinner and surprises her with a plan to stay overnight at the local motel. He also surprises Elizabeth with his anniversary gift to her -- the first few chapters of his novel in progress. He goes out to buy some champagne while Elizabeth starts reading the novel; Andy is impatient to have her immediate reaction to the book he has poured his heart, soul, and creativity into. When he returns he finds Elizabeth speechless. She tells him she could not follow the plot of the book; Andy wants her to tell him how he can fix it. Elizabeth's reply is, "Burn it." That is exactly what someone should have advised Mark Porto to do with The Courtroom Massacre. Don't even hesitate for a moment; just burn it.

I do not say this lightly. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who manages to write a book. I know it's difficult because I've tried, and I'm terrible at it. I'm much better at reading than trying to tell a story in book form. Which is why I feel it necessary to review this book so harshly. I read roughly 100 books a year, and that's on a slow year. I've been reading since I'm 5 years old. That's lots and lots of books read and for the most part enjoyed. This book, The Courtroom Massacre is the poorest excuse for a book I've ever read. Yes, ever. It had no sense of sentence structure; it was full of sentence fragments, and there was no rhyme or reason to chapter separations. The story was told in whatever verb tense the writer felt like using at the moment. We start out in present tense, and then we jump around to past tense or whatever tense the flip of the coin chose. There was no adherence to correct pronoun use. One sentence may refer to someone as "him", the next sentence referred to the same person as "her". There is no continuity to the plot; in fact the whole premise of the plot was absurd. The hero, Johnny, interrupts an armed robbery in his parent's convenience store. He shoots and kills at least one of the bandits. It is a clear matter of self-defense. And then, for no apparent reason Johnny is arrested for murder. There is some outlandish reasoning why this happens, and the rest of the book tries to show the reasons for it. It is so convoluted I gave up all attempts at understanding what or why anything was happening.

I received a free copy of this book at NetGalley in return for an honest review. I cannot be more honest than: do not waste your money or your time on this book. If GoodReads allowed no stars for reviews, I would argue for the option of minus stars for this mess. I did finish the book, but it became more of an endurance test than an enjoyable reading experience. In fact, I consider this book an insult to people like me who love to read.

Take Your Shirt Off And Cry by Nancy Balbirer

Take Your Shirt Off and Cry: A Memoir of Near-Fame Experiences by Nancy Balbirer

My review

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nancy Balbirer had a rough time trying to make it as an actress both in New York City and Hollywood. That didn't keep her from trying even when she faced disappointment after disappointment. And it didn't stop her from supporting the friends she made along the way as they also tried to realize their dreams. I wondered as I read this if telling the story was in some way cathartic for Balbirer. There were passages which seemed as though they were written with the idea that getting through the reliving would take a weight off once and for all. I've read books similar to this one, but Take Your Shirt Off And Cry does stand out as an original because it's so honest, and I think it's so clear that Balbirer really is too nice to sustain that lifestyle for very long. Thank goodness she kept her mind and her humor intact.


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