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Man of a Million Fragments: The True Story of Clay Shaw
At last, a full-length biography of Clay Shaw, the prominent New Orleans man implicated in the assassination of President Kennedy during the investigation by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. This complete account tells the story of Shaw’s life from the beginning, including his early days as a playwright and telegraph employee, his time in New York City in the public relations and theater worlds, his military service during World War II, his spectacular career from the beginning of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans after the war, his private life as a gay businessman and CIA information source, through his arrest, trial, and ongoing litigation that followed him the rest of his life. Impressive in scope and research, it is the only book of its kind on the subject.
689 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2013
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August 21, 2014
A 2013 publication that I have read, downloaded onto Kindle. For some reason G.R.'s does not show this book on it's database, so I have had to add this myself.
'Man of a Million Fragments:The True Story of Clay Shaw' by Donald H. Carpenter is a huge biography.
Shaw was unsuccessfully prosecuted by Jim Garrison in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1969 as being part of a conspiracy in the 1963 JFK assassination. I'm sure the majority of people who read this book will do so on account of their interest in this trial. The author has constructed a full biography of Shaw, which naturally takes in Shaw's early family life, education and involvement in the theatrical world in 1930's New York. We then follow his WWII army career, where he served in the European General Staff in England and France, being honourably discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of Major in 1946. After the war, Shaw became a businessman and director of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans, a position he held up to his arrest by Garrison in 1967. In these twenty years Carpenter fills a very large part of his book with the tedious detail of the life of the Trade Mart. Chapter after chapter of business meetings, business trips, the development of the Mart, comings and goings of staff etc. I found this a huge bore which almost caused me to abandon the read.
However, once into the 1960's my interest picked up slightly. There is no doubt that Mr Carpenter has Clay Shaw a wholly/holy innocent man who was victimised by the demonic Orleans D.A., who did not know Ferrie or Oswald or Andrews. Carpenter is quite sure though, that Oswald was the shooter at Gen. Walker's Dallas residence.
Actually, I have always found the Shaw enigma a dark shadow on the actions at Dealey Plaza. Yet, New Orleans seemed to be inundated with the bizarre and fantastic in the early sixties. Try reading 'Dr.Mary's Monkey' by Edward T. Haslam and perhaps you may think that Garrison wasn't demonic enough. I certainly recommend Joan Mellen's 'A Farewell to Justice' to shine a brighter light on Shaw than this tripe.
'Man of a Million Fragments:The True Story of Clay Shaw' by Donald H. Carpenter is a huge biography.
Shaw was unsuccessfully prosecuted by Jim Garrison in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1969 as being part of a conspiracy in the 1963 JFK assassination. I'm sure the majority of people who read this book will do so on account of their interest in this trial. The author has constructed a full biography of Shaw, which naturally takes in Shaw's early family life, education and involvement in the theatrical world in 1930's New York. We then follow his WWII army career, where he served in the European General Staff in England and France, being honourably discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of Major in 1946. After the war, Shaw became a businessman and director of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans, a position he held up to his arrest by Garrison in 1967. In these twenty years Carpenter fills a very large part of his book with the tedious detail of the life of the Trade Mart. Chapter after chapter of business meetings, business trips, the development of the Mart, comings and goings of staff etc. I found this a huge bore which almost caused me to abandon the read.
However, once into the 1960's my interest picked up slightly. There is no doubt that Mr Carpenter has Clay Shaw a wholly/holy innocent man who was victimised by the demonic Orleans D.A., who did not know Ferrie or Oswald or Andrews. Carpenter is quite sure though, that Oswald was the shooter at Gen. Walker's Dallas residence.
Actually, I have always found the Shaw enigma a dark shadow on the actions at Dealey Plaza. Yet, New Orleans seemed to be inundated with the bizarre and fantastic in the early sixties. Try reading 'Dr.Mary's Monkey' by Edward T. Haslam and perhaps you may think that Garrison wasn't demonic enough. I certainly recommend Joan Mellen's 'A Farewell to Justice' to shine a brighter light on Shaw than this tripe.
Displaying 1 of 1 review