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Indlæser... Capitol Limited: A Story about John Kennedy and Richard Nixonaf David R. Stokes
Ingen Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog.  ceg045 | Feb 19, 2014 |  ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
LONG BEFORE THEY famously debated each other during the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon debated the merits of the new Taft-Hartley labor law in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, in April 1947. But their minds were clearly on bigger things. As fate would have it, Kennedy and Nixon shared a Pullman compartment on a famous train called The Capitol Limited, the pride of the B&O line, for an overnight trip back to Washington. They stayed awake all night talking about their lives, hopes, and visions for a better world. CAPITOL LIMITED is based on a very true story. Bestselling author David R. Stokes imagines how the conversation might have unfolded that long-ago night. Based on extensive research, and complete with a lengthy and unusual-for-a-novel bibliography, CAPITOL LIMITED gives readers the chance to eavesdrop as two men have an animated conversation about history, world leaders, and the brewing geopolitical issues they would one day face as leaders of the free world. It was the dawn of the Cold War, and these two former Naval officers were developing a vision for the world, one that would be "tempered by a hard and bitter peace." And years later, the political torch would be passed to John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, who represented "a new generation of Americans." They would become America's premier Cold Warriors. No library descriptions found. |
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A historical novella based on a real historical event--a train ride shared by John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, in 1947, when both men were members of the House of Representatives. The two, having just debated the Taft-Hartley Act in Pennsylvania, were traveling back to DC. Stokes imagines the future presidents debating the great issues and figures of the day (Communism, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, the formation of Israel) while sharing glimpses of their personal lives and interests. A prologue and epilogue, both generally taking place during the Kennedy administration, bookend and further contextualize the conversation.
In the world we now live in, with such anger and vitriol between politicians and members of opposing political parties, the civil--even congenial--conversation between the Democrat and Republican is refreshing to read. Admittedly, I'm not aware of Kennedy's and Nixon's personal feelings about each other, but at some points, based on what I know of their individual personalities, the narrative seems almost a little too idealized. Also, historical quotes are bolded and italicized in the text, which distracted me from the main thread of the story. Those quibbles aside, however, I found it a fascinating look at an event I knew nothing about, even as a history buff. Also, I appreciate that Stokes didn't draw out the book and attempt to drag a train ride of a few hours into a novel of several hundred pages. A novella is the perfect format for telling this story. (