Killing the Witches by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

 I have read nearly all the O'Reilly/Dugard Killing series of books.  This one I had not so had to order a copy to complete my collection of this series.  I started reading it October 31 and did not finish until November 23 although if I had time I would have read thru all 280 pages in a few days.  Published in 2023 this covers the horrors of the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials in 1692-93. 

I was not very familiar with this historical trauma and learned a lot from this book. The hysteria that ruled and the executions carried out are a black mark of our history and show that the Puritans were not always kind people.  The novel  goes beyond that through the Constitutional Convention of the US and includes a section on the Exorcism of the demonic based on a 1949 true happening to a young boy and even  covers the making of the popular horror film, the Exorcist.  It covers a great deal of the tensions amongst the founding fathers which is not usually revealed in history books.  The conclusion and Author's note is caution about  demonic that still exists.  I truly believe there is demonic evil around.  The recent Charlie Kirk assassination's is an example.  The author expounds about the current cancel culture and the trans activists and how that hysteria has demonic undertones. 

 An excellent read,  5 *****.

Cover flap

Killing the Witches back cover

 

Pages 220 221  today's demonic?

Killing the Mob by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

This was a book sale find in 2024 but sat on my shelf along with my collection of the other O'Reilly Killing books until September 2025 when I  needed something to read.  273 pages through the postscripts.  I read through this in 8 days, my evening entertainment.  Just like all the other Killing series books, it is excellent.  Well researched, well written, informative and fascinating.   

Perhaps because I grew up in a small town in southwestern PA with definite mob connections, mob families, sometimes called "Little Chicago."  The mob families I knew about were nice people to us, the streets of the town were safe to walk at all hours.  They delivered boxes of groceries to doorsteps of people who were needy, anonymously.  They heavily financed and rebuilt an exquisite  the Italian Catholic church in the town, still a beauty today.  There was a rumor that at one time the priest of the  church hid a mobster whom the feds were looking for.  Most of us had no fear of them whatsoever.  I suppose they were criminals but whatever crimes they were involved in did not seem to bother the town.  

The book opens in 1934 with t a prologue about John Dillinger and goes up through present day in New York City culminating with a reference that our President Trump needed concrete and waste management to build the Trump Towers and negotiated with the mob for these.  

The book chronicles J Edgar Hoover's obsession with organized crime families, political influences and how at times even the government dealt with the mob families.  There is no revelation about what happened to Jimmy Hoffa whose remains remain disappeared.  Of great interest is the  story of Donnie Brasco who in fact was  an undercover FBI agent, Joseph Pistone.  As Donnie Brasco he infiltrated  posing as a small time jewel thief and became a trusted part of the Bonanno crime family where he was deep undercover for 5 years beginning September 1976.  He becomes the FBI's star key witness in the prosecutions, the Mob placed a $500,000 bounty on his head.  

This is another 5 ***** read and a book I would consider re reading again.  

The United States of Trump by Bill O'Reilly

Front cover

I subscribed to Bill O'Reilly.com because I miss the O'Reilly commentary and to get an advance copy of this book which was being written earlier this year.  So when it arrived I immediately worked it into my reading time.  It is a good book, typical of O'Reilly, only 295 pages..  I did not  so much learn a lot of new things about Donald Trump as I confirmed my own impressions and gained better insight into the man I voted for President and the man I will vote for again.  Overall, what you see is what you get, Donald Trump is not pretentious and does not have a filter between his thoughts to the words he speaks,  thus so  many controversies with his Twitter storms many which he starts in his early morning times alone.  With Trump it is what it is,  uninhibited presentation.   O'Reilly mentions that Trump uses negativity like a fly swatter, he does not apologize nor admit mistakes readily if at all.  . He readily returns an insult with an invective, unlike President Andrew Jackson who might have shot the person, btw  Trump admires Jackson. 

 Trump is the consummate outsider , no political pedigree and for that the beltway insiders detest him.  I knew that.  He tends to exaggerate, not using precise language and goes along to the next item.   

Back cover

Trump has a short attention span for detail yet quickly absorbs what he needs to know, bureaucratic briefings  drive him up the wall and the stage is set for a tumultuous 4 years which it has been so far.  He sleeps very little, rises by 5:30AM,  drinks no alcohol nor coffee, has no hobbies other than golf and  is a consummate workaholic, he is always on and when immersed in something he is a bull dog.  Now that is what we need as a President to  realign this country, .  His father was all work as well so this trait  is in Trump's DNA. 


 He does drink a lot of Diet Cokes though  sometimes 15 or more a day, always from a bottle poured into a glass with ice, just he way I prefer mine too.  Yet surely all those  diet cokes cannot be good for him.  He relishes disruption and mayhem and can work thru the midst of it especially when he creates it.  Hyperbole and bombastic presentation is Trump, he considers  it insignificant.  His traits are more typical "in your face" New Yorker style than beltway. 

 O'Reilly discusses how the death of his brother affected Donald.  And the thriftiness, not wasting that  comes from his Germanic roots on his father's side (pg 43.)s

nside front flap

I did learn that the youngest son, his and Melania's , Baron is named for the Hotel magnate Baron Hilton, never knew that.  . Page 271  sums Trumps 4 pillars of his presidency, ", improving the economy,  stopping illegal immigration,  defeating Islamic terrorism, and preventing foreign nations from exploiting America financially."  .  Who but a liberal lunatic  can argue with those?  If I have any criticism of the book it is that the photos are mediocre, like reprints of newspaper photos, perhaps they are, apparently pictures were not important to O'Reilly for this book.  After all right now we are living in the midst of this Trump  Presidency, we can see pictures all over TV, 24/7; hang on Mr Toady,  the wild ride will continue!.  I give this 5 *****

Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

The latest book in author OReilly's Killing series and to me it was the least interesting.  A friend passed this one along to me, so I was spared wasting any money on its purchase.  It appears to be a collection or rather a smattering of all sorts of miscellaneous information gathered by the authors and pages are consumed with this ranging from sagas about Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and more.  I am unsure if I disliked this book because of all the extraneous smatterings or if it is because so much of this history is current to me having lived through it all.  I really do not understand how they could have written this book without interviewing contemporaries of Reagan's like  Edwin Meese or others.  At only 283 pages it is a quick easy read but rambling.  If this is the best they can do, perhaps it's past time to move on from the niche of their Killing books and find another title, "Smatterings About and Beyond...."  whoever is my suggestion.  There has been controversy about this book, that it demeans Reagan.  I did not find that so much as I just became very tired of all the asides here and there,  It is nice that it is dedicated to caretakers as that is how Nancy spent the last many years.  It was an attempt to fill a book with tidbits. 

Rating it only 3 *** and that's generous.  I read this last year, 2015, but just now documenting it for this blog. 

One of many reviews copied and attached here from USA Today October 2015 by Ray Locker as well as a link to that article.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/09/22/killing-reagan--violent-assault--changed--presidency/32520031/

Catchup of books read Part 1

It's not that I have  not been reading, it's that I have little time to spend at keyboard.  Consequently I have accumulated quite the stack of books I have read since my last post.  These will be  rather abbreviated reviews while I clear the stacks for donations.

  Last read, first listed, the  one I just completed the other evening, "Killing Patton"  by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I admired the other Killing books by these two and because this is based on the famous General whom history shows may have been the most apolitical but the most patriotic of World War II, I knew I would want to read this.  I thought I might wait a while but couldn't resist dropping it into my cart as soon as it was released as I was in Sam's that day.  I verified some of the detail maps with historic information I inherited from my late Uncle Carl, particularly the maps as I had several from Uncle Carl who served with Patton part of the time.  Carl was  in the tank destroyers and also in a headquarters company so had access to lots of information which he gathered and saved.  I retain a keen interest in all things written about World War II as well and that may be why I was not overly impressed with this latest in the Killing books.  Yes the research is impeccable, but I felt this was partly about Patton and partly with other historical information and anecdotes, tales of Hitler, Stalin, Truman and more.Most of that miscellany information I read over and again in other more detailed books about that era and those individuals.  I did not  need to repeat read it here.  But then the book would have been about half it's 331 pages including the appendix.    Probably because I have  read so much else of this era,I should not have expected new information, but as usual in O'Reilly's books I learned a couple new tidbits, more about Patton's talks to his troops and more about his passions and discipline and his depth readings of Caesar including Gallic Wars which I  remember reading in my 4th year of high school Latin classes.  (Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres....I can still recite the opening paragraphs that we memorized way back then)  It  left me with multiple unanswered questions, what really did happen to General Patton in the fatal auto accident?  How much was cover up and deliberate sabotage?  I barely recall  hearing about it as a child but knew of the speculation.  There are no answers in this book which just raises the same questions that will be unanswered, was it the CIA, was it the Russians condoned by the CIA, was it from Ike's and or Truman's  disinterest or dislike of Patton or was it just the way it was?  .I give it only 4 ****.

 Another patriotic and perhaps political military expose "American Spartan" by Ann Scott Tyson is an excellent read  which raises speculation about today's tragically politicized military efforts.  This true documentation about Special Forces Major Jim Gant, hailed by some as a leader who could have really facilitated US victory in Afghanistan is written by an investigative reporter who becomes his wife.  While it is  positively complimentary about General David Petraeus, it raises serious question about the liberal bias that has reached from Academia to the halls and graduates of West Point and further demonstrates that watch your back must be the operative slogan of successful officers.  Major Jim Gant is a warriors warrior, and was always with his men, dubbed "Lawrence of Afghanistan" he befriended the Pashtan tribesmen, and became trusted by adopting their lifestyle while in the hills, mountains and caves of Afghanistan. 

 I learned a lot about that country and its history.  This is a well documented book and I would expect no less from  the reporter who engages with the major and then marries him.  My impression is that Gant surely had his personal demons, alcohol for one, as he drank about a 1/5th of booze a day in Iraq, but he certainly deserved better treatment than he received in the end from the US Army. His 2009  published brilliant strategy in his whitepaper, "One Tribe at a Time" went viral in DC and especially at the Pentagon catching the attention of many including General Petraeus who will ultimately be able to allow Jim to proceed only to be ultimately over ruled.  Pg. 60, "Afghanistan was still the Wild Wild West....Afghanistan, he had discovered as a 35 year old Army captain, was a nation of ancient warring tribes.  The largest tribe was the Pashtuns who make up about 40% of Afghanistan's population and inhabit the east and the south...."

When a West Point punk more interested in brown nosing than his own country  can instigate a means to undo the dedication and eradicate the thousands of strong steps forward proven by an officer like Gant, there is something dreadfully wrong with the military.  Likely that wrong reflects back to none other than Obama, the loser commander in chief foisted onto this nation whom I believe has a hatred of our military and seeks to descimate it. That's the political showing, although the book does not make that allegation, a discernable reader with perception and knowledge can derive their own conclusion.  I was curious about the reference to the Spartans but learned that Major Gant was also an astute student of military history and  admired the Spartans.  Pg. 100, "Jim's expectation, he said, was for his men to fight and show bravery together with the same warrior ethos that defined the Spartans.  He showed them the Greek letter, lambda he had tattooed on his left forearm shortly  before they left Ft. Bragg.  The lambda stood for Laconia, the Spartan homeland in ancient Greece and appeared on the shields that Spartan warriors wielded in an impenetrable phalanx.Together they were invincible he told them....The team later adopted the call sign, "Spartan", several. got labda tattoos identical to Jim's on their left forearms,,," 

Near the end pg. 232-233 when Jim is wrestling with the idea of arming insurgents in Kawer or the  Mangwel arbakai, their local police who are notoriously corrupt, a fact  which  is meaningless to Afghans.  They simply  accept  and believe that's the way it is and live with and around  betrayal and with hearty distrust.  Most revealing was the reference to arming Taliban and who was or was not Taliban, what the term means in that part of the world is extremely  different than what  average Americans understand based the media. It is revealing to read this documentation from people who were there and know what they say and this will be valuable knowledge to understand why we have a mess on our hands.

A most compelling read and one I avoided at first, but Jerry read it avidly and recommended I do so.  I am glad I did.  I learned as much from this as from the Pirates of Somalia about an alien tribal culture.  Gants techniques with acclimating into the tribal peoples and gaining their respect and acceptance are reminiscent of serious attempts to befriend villagers in  Vietnam, another strategy doomed to fail when the politicians over rode military tactics.    

I give this book 5 ***** nd recommend it to those who are willing to learn.  It is harsh in parts, bloody and not casual nor light reading.  The verdict of Major Gant's actions may be at odds with my personal beliefs and feelings; I am not surprised this book did not make those best seller's lists. It demonstrates the lack of wisdom by relying solely on information from the media.... 

The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt is a most serious tome of 771 pages that has been on the  best sellers lists and one I would not have bothered to read.  But a friend sent it to me saying she thought it was the worst book she had ever read.  She wanted my opinion and  after plowing through it, I disagreed fully with her assessment.  It is a tale of a boy and later the man who makes his way from  the most dysfunctional childhood to the upper levels of eastern society while holding onto a horrid secret and  working  to learn the trade of refurbishing antiques.  I had read somewhere that the author writes ala Charles Dickens and I concur. I have been a lifelong fan of Dickens since  I first read his works in school,  The in depth characters, the serious dysfunctions, the main protagonist who is not always on the side of the angels, the twists and the mystery are not something that can routinely be so successfully achieved as is done with The Goldfinch.  


The book begins and ends in Amsterdam.  It is philosophical in  parts and cynical in others. I  thought the first part up until the death of his alcoholic deceitful father about page 339, was not quite as intriguing as the latter part.  But then I tire reading of dysfunctional alcoholics and their problems as well as those they cause for others.  The information about refurbishing antiques and the tricks and artistry to fake them was revealing.  Among many well written thoughts, pg. 757..."corrosive to the soul...Idolatry.  Caring too much for objects can destroy you."   pg 509..."all that blind infantile hunger to save and be saved...to repeat the past and make it different.." pg. 758..."coincidence is just God's way of remaining anonymous."  Pg 760..."beauty alters the grain of reality....pursuit of beauty is a trap...beauty has to be wedded to something more meaningful...." and  last page 761,  "We don't get to choose the people we are..."  an acquiescence to fate?  I had not heard of this author but with the depth of this writing I can understand why she  has written very few works.  This had to take inordinate research and  deep thought to produce.  I can see this as a great panoramic movie which would detract immensely as  so very much would be condensed away.   Because of the mystery, the twists, the characters, I give this work of fiction 5 *****.

And those are but  3 that I hae had time to describe today,,,lots more later..

Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

I knew it was imminent yet said I would not buy it right away, that I have so many books on the shelf to read that I could wait, but I was wrong, I kept wondering and so one day as Jerry was on his way to Sam's I said, "pick it up for me."  He did and I read it in 2.5 evenings, all 281 pages including the Acknowledgements, sources post script and afterword.  Published in 2013 by Henry Holt and Company it is another best seller hit for O'Reilly and Dugard, another historical perspective on events, this time people are mightily confused because they think it will change their faith their Christianity.  If it does, they are not very deeply grounded, they are easily dissuaded and they need to learn.  It does not even approach the beliefs of Christians in the Master, that is no where in the purpose of this book.   

Not since my  high school Latin courses have I read so much about Caesar, back then we read Caesar's Gallic wars in Latin of which I took 3 years, which gave me an excellent foundation in language, and history.  As with  the other "Killing" books by O'Reilly, I learned things I never knew, some of which I am not so sure I needed to know as an example, pages 12-13 descriptions of Herod's illnesses and that Nazi's borrowed tactics from the Romans who also had local officials as puppet rulers (pg. 59.) Despite all my religious studies and academic courses in religions, I  did not realize that the Temple in Jerusalem  was twice as big as Rome's forum, pg. 73.  I never knew about the  Roman crucifixion death squads, four men per squad, i.e. quaternio., pg. 216.  Also on pg. 216 the intricate descriptions of the parts of the cross, the upright, vertical part, staticula  was in the ground awaiting the sentenced who carried  the cross bar, patibulum,  on his back. I believe that   every depiction of Jesus on his way to Calvary shows him carrying the cross in entirety.  Pg 223 clarifies that the temple guards who come with Judas  into the Garden are not Romans but Jews.  Page 272 mentions that Islam began in AD610 by Muhammed, 300 years after the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire which was in AD 313.  The historical account is  very readable and enlightening.   

There was dissension in my local book club when we chose this book for our November read.  Two of us were reading it; others agreed to it's selection.  But those who did not attend the meeting began an anti email campaign, one excuse and another how they could not get the book from the library, oh tah da, tah da, ta dah.  One who did not attend vociferously complained she did not want to read it, go figure, she's Catholic and that's her excuse? .  I reminded her that O'Reilly is a devout practicing Catholic.  No way to reason with that nonsense so long story short,  those who were not there had their triumph, another blah blah blah book was selected.  I have no tolerance for such adolescent behavior  and I will not be participating in this nonsense. One thing I cannot abide is wasting my time, so no more.   The  group has disintegrated into a ladies chat time, busy bee where thoughtful discussions do not occur. There is no criteria for book selections and as I know all to well, without guidelines, without purpose, whatever happens along is the chosen, good enough.  When absentees carry  more weight than those who show up, there's nothing to be done.  The facilitator recently had knee surgery and  is recovering   so she does not inject any voice of reason. This is not for me.  I am never at a loss of suggestions on books to read, and subscribe to several online services such as Random Reads,  Amazon, Good Reads where reviews are shared as well as thoughtful opinions.   

I give this book a full five stars and recommend it to anyone.  It joins the others as permanent  members in my  home library. 
  

Books read pending posting reviews

Funny how I have less and less time here as I spend more and more time on physical fitness...good thing I am retired because I really would not have time at all for those 12-14 hour career   days.

I have completed several books, but not yet posted my reviews here.  The first, "Killing Jesus" by Bill O'Reilly is another hit for him and Martin Dugard.  Of his 3 Killing books it may be my #3.  I have a funny tale of the book club fiasco to share when I post that review..

Months ago I read my first book on my tablet Kindle app, "The Rose Hotel" by Rahimeh Andalibian.  Not one I'd recommend as I found it tiresome in parts.  An OK.

"Crossing to Safety"  by Wallace Stegner, a classic from the late 50's or early 60"s.  Another OK read.

Two more Kindle reads by the same author, Helen Bryan--"The War Brides" and The Sisterhood.  Both good fast reads..

More later...I am  moving outside to take the sunshine in on this crisp day.

Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly ad Martin Dugard

I could not wait to  receive this book as a gift because I loved the Killing Lincoln by the same authors and  yet I did not think they could do it again.  They have!  This is a wonderful book, all 311 pages including the references and I  devoured it.  I was a Kennedy kid in college, he was my first exposure to politics, I adored JFK and the Camelot mystique.  When he was assassinated I was devastated.  Over the years I have read everything about the  Kenndys and the investigative reports, I even have Sotheby's massive tome published when Jackie's Estate was being settled.  I was a Kennedy junkie with JFK  and Bobby; that stopped with Ted Kennedy especially his Chappaquidick adventure. 

I was intrigued, what could they write that I did not already know?  But they did. Some  small details such as pages 135-137,   the bringing and transporting the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini, not sure I ever knew her name before.  I well recall the publicity in  January 1963 about bringing her to the White House, then again, I remember  most of the events described in this excellent work.

I read  this book accompanied by a nagging feeling of impending doom; yes I knew what would happen, but I knew what would happen with Lincoln as well and did not experience that same sensation reading Killing Lincoln.   Perhaps the feeling stemmed from the history that I lived.  The same old questions rattle through my mind, what if Oswald had not bee permitted  back to America?  What if JFK had not gone to  Dallas?  What if this never had happened?  But what if's are fantasy and all that pondering is meaningless.  Today in our polarized country with the poorest excuse of a President in my life time, I loved reading about JFK and how he was the President of the country, of all the people.  O'Reilly and Dugard write that JFK stopped defining himself  by party affiliation, yes he was a consummate politician, but he was the people's man, for the entire nation.

I learned that he was far worse a philanderer than I ever knew with his various bimbos escorted to the White House in Jackie's absence; he outdoes Bill Clinton.  I imagine today he would not get away with that conduct.  He as a faithful Catholic attended mass regularly; I wonder if he confessed or did not consider his trysts sinful.   I also learned that JFK suffered far more from physical complications than I ever imagined and even used crutches sometimes to walk, though not in public.  It sounds odd to read about JFK taking a bath, when showers predominate today.  I remember huddling with the other girls from our 4th  floor in the  TV room, (we shared a room and did not have our own TV's back in those dark ages!), October 22, 1962, and I remembered  the JFK TV speech about the Russians and missiles in Cuba.....page 117 " The 1930's taught us a clear lesson:  Aggressive conduct if allowed to  grow unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.  This nation is opposed to war.  We are also true to our word.  Our unswerving objective, therefore, must be to prevent the use of these missiles against this or any other country and to secure their  withdrawal or elimination from the Western Hemishpere."   On page 119, the authors  say that  most  Americans today who lived through that event  remember where they were and what they were doing...just as their parents remembered  Pearl Harbor and the death of President Roosevelt.  "The terrible news that he now delivers to the public, will make this moment stand forever in the minds of everyone who is watching."  We in the east  were sure the end was near; the depth of detail in this  book confirms, had those missiles gone off most of the East coast and inland would have bee decimated.  He ended that  speech as his 1961 inaugural, "grabbing his listeners by the heart--or by "the nuts" as he often likes to say--and rally their emotional support."  That closing line,  "Our goal is not the victory of might but the vindication of right.  Not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom--"" 
   On page 242 the authors pose how and when the "destruction of Camelot" might have started--the Bay of Pigs, the  anger of Fidel Castro, and the furious reaction in the CIA,  or when JFK severed his ties  with Giancana, Sinatra and the Mafia and allowed his brother, Bobby to prosecute them as Attorney General.   

George de Mohrenschildt, a shadowy Russian college professor who befriended the Oswalds when they arrived in Dallas in 1962 also had ties to Jackie  Kennedy; he  was a new character to me.  He committed suicide in March 1977 just as O'Reilly a young reporter knocked on his door.  It adds to the pondering. 

The book ends powerfully   Page 262  "..each person has dreams about the future--dreams that sometimes come true.  Such is life.  Yet life can end in less time than it takes to draw one breath."  Loved this book.

It is clearly 5 ***** +

Killing Lincoln

So Welcome to my Book Blog where I will share my reads because I have outgrown space on my first blog.  Using this blog will alleviate lisitng  my books alongside the blog. 

A wonderful surprise Christmas present from Sandy who read my mind all the way from California and sent me two books that were on my list and that I was waiting to buy while working my way through  my huge shelf of books to read.  As soon as I finished  my read in progress, I dove into Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly.   I have heard most readers rave about it and now I join that chorus.  It is a wonderfully put together  historical book.  How all those details came about from the heinous assassination of President Lincoln is a testimony to Bill and  Martin Dugard who collaborated with Bill on this.  Over 295 pages, a haunting historical tale, as mesmerizing as the cover photo to the left.  While writings about Civil War battles and the strategy that won the war may not be my preferred reading, every word of this drew me in and along.  I learned a bit more about General Custer too and how his full steam ahead  attitude regardless of orders is likely what caused his demise at Little Big Horn. I learned about characters I never knew, John and Mary Surratt, Lafayette Baker, and Lucy Hale one time fiancee of John Wilkes Booth.  I learned a lot about the alleged Confederate conspiracy and the character and temperament of John Wilkes Booth, and Mary Todd Lincoln.  The book delves  into the head of the assassin and into Lincoln's anguish over the Civil War and the peacetime to follow.  When I first heard of this book, I wondered how it could expand on what we know but from the first page, I wondered no more.  Following the Epilogue, the Appendix has the entire recreation of the April 29, 1865 Harper's Weekly.  This is a keeper book for my personal library.  The photos, the maps and the research notes are incredible.  The maps will be a source of places yet to see when we are out touring in the motor home in southeastern states.  I am particularly fond of historical non-fiction so this book is right up there for me.