Oswald's Tale

An American Mystery

By: Norman Mailer

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

In perhaps his most important literary feat, Norman Mailer fashions an unprecedented portrait of one of the great villains - and enigmas - in United States history. Here is Lee Harvey Oswald - his family background, troubled marriage, controversial journey to Russia, and return to an "America [waiting] for him like an angry relative whose eyes glare in the heat." Based on KGB and FBI transcripts, government reports, letters and diaries, and Mailer's own international research, this is an epic account of a man whose cunning, duplicity, and self-invention were both at home in and at odds with the country he forever altered.

©1995 Norman Mailer. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, Inc, all rights reserved.

It’s a long one. But a good one

For those of you that are curious about the various Kennedy assassination legends, this book provides a more in depth perspective and a deep look into the mind of Oswald.

Thought provoking

For my money Norman Mailer was/is a national treasure who covered big events one thinks one knows all about. Nope. Reader can choose from the myriad motivations Mailer brilliantly flies.

Very detailed.

Goes into extensive detail about the minutiae of his life, but sheds no light on whether he was part of a bigger plot.

A Very Good Meta Analysis of History

Mailer takes a thoughtful and reasoned approach in showing the background, motives, and integrity of the multiple witnesses to History in the Oswald assassination case. While much may be suggestive leading the reader to draw final conclusions, this is preferable to the many that sought a simplistic story for "the good of the country " while overtly seeking to cover up their own motives. Fascinating listen.

Outstanding

Norman Mailer does a fantastic job of relating the facts and theories of the Kennedy tragedy. He weaves enthralling story of the personalities in Oswalds life. I learned many new details and got a better insight into what I already knew, about Oswald and his family. Although long I never found the book tedious. Wonderful narration.

Interesting but anticlimactic

Fascinating all the way through, but Mailer cops out at the end. He basically just says "Well, we're not going to get into ballistics, and the assassination seems Ike something Oswald would have done, so despite all of the contrary evidence I have just presented, let's just go with that." It's like a meticulous defense lawyer closing the case by just shrugging and saying "Your honor, he looks pretty guilty."

Mailer’s Ticket to Heaven

The most interesting book I’ve encountered in over 60 years of reading. A work of enduring genius.

Excellent narrative of psychological development

Magnificent description of the historical background into the early sixties of the conflicting views of the U.S. and Soviet Union. Also original and insightful narrative of the consequences of Hitlers invasion to the Soviet Union and the abduction of young women as slaves to work in German factories.

Now…less of an American mystery

Oswald no longer a mystery in my mind. Author encapsulates the true nature of Oswald. While his entanglement with CIA & FBI is still shrouded I no longer believe his assertion of being a “patsie” in the the killing of Kennedy.

Truly Oswald’s Tale

Mailer humanizes perhaps the shadowiest figure in U.S. history. He evokes empathy as Oswald struggles to find meaning in life and pity when Lee determines that infamy is the vehicle. Mailer lays out Oswald’s repeated failed attempts to garner attention, which depress him further fail but unintentionally insulate him from the scrutiny he deserves from law enforcement. Fate issues an incredible set of circumstances that all but ordain his epic deed and equally momentous murder. All along the way, we meet an amazing cast of characters. Even though it is a story many of us know in detail, Oswald’s Tale, told in novel style,forces us to examine from another vantage point this mental tattoo on the collective memory of humankind.