James Koenig > Recent Status Updates

Fascinating account of Martin Luther King and James Earl Ray, his assassin. A real page-turner.

I've always been interested in this targeted assassination of MLK and the tangled and controversial events which followed. Ray died in prison at the age of 70, but maintained his innocence to the end.

This is a detailed investigation into the Martin Luther King assassination by white-supremacist, James Earl Ray. He allegedly shot King as King stood on a second floor balcony outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray escaped to Canada and then London, where he was finally captured. The twist in the story is that MLK's family believes Ray was set up and was not the lone assassin as the FBI claimed

Well written historical saga. Enjoying learning about Kit Carson, John Fremont, and General Stephen Kearny's exploits in the Mexican-American War instigated by President Polk. Solid history!

Hampton Sides is a MASTERFUL storyteller. In this remarkable book, Sides interweaves the theadlines of the three central characters: Kit Carson, Captain Steven Kearney (leader of the Army of the West), and Narbona, a great Navaho Chief. Their paths will intersect in 1846 in the US - Mexican War, initiated by President James Polk, who wanted all of the southwest for America - from sea to shiny sea. Fascinating.

Every chapter is a mini-novel. The one I'm reading now is called: The Invaders - it refers to Mexicans illegally crossing the Rio Grande river into Texas, AND the invasion of the armadillo from Mexico into Texas. Michener sure can tell a great informational story. His characters are relatable and so real! Wonderful book - one of his best.

The chapter on the oil boom in the little town of Larkin, Texas was phenomenal! Religious revivals, the KKK, politics, the oilmen, high school football, and the saving of the Texas Longhorns, were all expertly intertwined by the masterful Michener. My eyes watered on the last page as Emma Larkin sped back to Texas to die on Texas soil. Unforgettable!

Each chapter is a time capsule of Texas history with Michener's compelling characters. I enjoyed the chapter, "Frontier", which featured the cattle drives of RJ Poteet, of Centennial fame. The Emma Larkin story, the little girl captured by Comanche who burned off her ears and nose, rescued, and then restored to civilized life with a wooden nose and marriage to Earnshaw Rusk was a fascinating read in this epic book.

A fascinating history of Texas, Mexico, and the United States. Texas was its own country from 1836-1945, after Texans defeated General Antonio Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Texas joined the union in 1945, and then the U.S. under General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott fought Mexico (and Santa Anna again) and wrestled away New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

An absorbing read.

This is one of the better biographies I've read. Baccal writes with wit, intelligence, and humor. I'm going to enjoy every page!