In this powerful, eerily convincing fictional speculation on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Don DeLillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald’s odyssey from troubled teenager to a man of precarious stability who imagines himself an agent of history. When “history” presents itself in the form of two disgruntled CIA operatives who decide that an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the president will galvanize the nation against communism, the scales are irrevocably tipped.
A gripping, masterful blend of fact and fiction, alive with meticulously portrayed characters both real and created, Libra is a grave, haunting, and brilliant examination of an event that has become an indelible part of the American psyche.
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"Wow. I thought White Noise had turned me off to DeLillo forever, and he was the most pretentious author I had ever read. Libra was amazing, and I was halfway through it before I realized it was written years before Oliver Stone's JFK. The events leading up to the first Kennedy assassination are omnisciently recreated, and even though Don claims its all fiction I truly believe that the CIA had Kennedy killed, intentionally or no. Its good to feel envious of a writer's talent again."
— Matt (5 out of 5 stars)
" Historical fiction at its finest. DeLillo's Oswald is perfect. "
— Zach, 2/6/2014" If he could contine to come up with ways to surprise her, she would have a reason to love him forever. "
— Mark, 2/4/2014" This is Don DeLillo's take on the JFK assasination. It really makes you think about how complex historical events are and the futility of trying to know what really happened. "
— Kelvey, 1/30/2014" Awesome. DeLillo riffs like Kerouac. I read some other reviews and found that those who did not like it generally expected a Kennedy assasination history book--with some insights into the real people who took part. I came at this with the expectation that it was just a made up story with underpinnings in a key historical setting. But frankly, I don't know if my expectation was right. I don't really care. It read like a great novel. "
— Pete, 1/21/2014" Tough to read, for several reasons. Ventures into the dark underbelly of American history. Lee Harvey Oswald is an unusual choice of protagonist, and a very thought-provoking one. "
— Hadrian, 1/14/2014" Death. Delillo writes about death how we try to idle it by watching T.V. and at the same time hasten it with technology, tehnology that creates advanced weapons used in war. apps kill "
— Con, 1/4/2014" More than once was I reminded of Foucault's Pendulum. Both books are sprawling, fascinating and complex accounts of a conspiracy gone awry. Eco showed the enduring influence of medieval occultism on Western Europe. Delillo does the same, but for the Cold War, secret services and the American psyche. "
— Kars, 11/17/2013" Good. Took me awhile to adjust to his style but he's a very good writer. "
— Nathan, 11/9/2013" It would have been better if some of the characters were not dragged out to the point of repetition (or if they had been developed as well as the main character). His point seems to be that modern American is a depressing, isolating place. Fair enough, but so is this book. "
— Mariya, 11/3/2013" This is a tough read, and I'm not sure after reading it just what the writer had in mind. This critically acclaimed story left me confused. "
— Barb, 9/25/2013" Hard to read - way cool, though "
— MET, 8/28/2013" Challenging, complex, astute and accomplished, this is an intelligent exploration not just of the Kennedy assassination but also of the nature of conspiracy, history and truth. "
— Richard, 8/28/2013" Interesting perspective of a bumbling would-be. "
— Nathanial, 6/30/2013" this is fictitious look into the life of lee harvey oswald. weird but a really cool book. "
— Lindsay, 5/28/2013" I've tried twice now to read this book. The first time I gave up after 50 pages; this time I made it halfway through. It's not DeLillo's fault - the writing is plenty good. I just don't have the enthusiasm for a JFK assassination conspiracy story (I'm still recovering from American Tabloid). "
— Ethan, 5/7/2013" DeLillo with a plot is my favorite kind of DeLillo. "
— Sherrie, 4/22/2013" My mother says if upon her arrival at the pearly gates she is permitted to ask God one question, she fully intends to find out who killed Kennedy. I told her she could probably skip the God part and just ask Don DeLillo. "
— Lesley, 11/17/2012" Really confusing but damn good. A creatively written (...post-modern) account of the Kennedy assassination. Similar to Capote's "In Cold Blood" in that DeLillo takes great pains to portray his villains with as much humanity and empathy as possible. "
— Jer, 10/11/2012" Not my favorite DeLillo, but still I can admire his writing and interweaving of stories "
— Al, 9/3/2011" Oswald ain't so bad, he's smart. "
— Firiel, 7/15/2011" A must-read for fans of DeLillo and Kennedy assassination theories. "
— SmarterLilac, 7/6/2011" Very difficult to get through, but I managed. "
— Scareyon, 6/25/2011" Do not take this book to Europe with you. You may find it unbearable as I did and you'll find yourself in a country where you can't find another book to read that is in English. "
— Amy, 6/16/2011" I had trouble finishing this book. I like deLillo, but this narrative was all over the place. I also was not alive during the jfk assasination and felt lost even though im from dallas. I think he did manage to get into oswalds head thou. maybe i can pick it up again sometime. "
— Melanie, 4/22/2011" Truth or fiction? DeLillo's version is as good as any I know. "
— Cary, 4/16/2011" Tough to read, for several reasons. Ventures into the dark underbelly of American history. Lee Harvey Oswald is an unusual choice of protagonist, and a very thought-provoking one. "
— Kaworu, 4/12/2011" 3 1/2 stars. Might have even hit 4 if I weren't so worn out by conspiracy/corrupt, competing government bodies/blah blah blah shit from the Millennium Series. DeLillo gets shafted. "
— Jennifer, 2/3/2011" Oswald ain't so bad, he's smart. "
— Firiel, 1/31/2011" This was surprisingly good. I didn't love it, as it was a bit long-winded at times, but take out the names and this could be any Cold War spy novel, albeit one with a bit more pretension than most. <br/><br/>Now I have to think of a paper to write responding to it... "
— Tyler, 1/27/2011Don DeLillo is the author of seventeen novels which have won the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award, the Jerusalem Prize for his complete body of work, and the William Dean Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2013 he was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, and in 2015, the National Book Foundation awarded DeLillo its Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.