Böcker av James Norwood

This collection of essays explores a wide range of topics demonstrating why the Shakespeare authorship question matters in the understanding and appreciation of the plays of Shakespeare. By shifting our focus away from the public theaters of London to the court of Queen Elizabeth, a new paradigm of Shakespeare's stagecraft emerges. A comparative essay on Mark Twain and Shakespeare explores why Twain felt a kindred spirit in Shakespeare that led him to challenge the traditional view of Shakespearean authorship. Detailed reviews of programs in the PBS series Shakespeare Uncovered and the TNT series Will expose the shortcomings of the traditional Shakespearean biography. Other essays include an exposé of the Essex Rising of 1601; a profile of the scholar Charlton Ogburn; and an analysis of the influence of Hamlet in films portraying modern Latin American political culture.

This volume includes 33 essays on a vast array of historical topics. Many of the issues are controversial and are rarely covered in mainstream discourse. In one set of essays, the historical truth about Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President Kennedy, will be disclosed after sixty years of silence on the part of the historians. In another essay, the facts about JFK's Vietnam policy will be assessed in his own words, demonstrating that he had a disengagement plan in place prior to his assassination. In several essays, the birth of propaganda in America will be discussed. Other essays will probe these questions: What was the controversy that served as a catalyst for the formation of the American political parties? What do Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin share in common? Several essays address Nazi Germany and Hitler's improbable rise to power. A little known story is how the love of mountains brought together Hitler and the filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. The book is intended for lovers of history and for those who want to engage in the study of controversial topics.

This concise study posits that the Cold War defined the lives of John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, and Lee Harvey Oswald. It also challenges longstanding interpretations of each of the three lives. Today, Khrushchev is a nearly forgotten historical figure, the arc of his colorful life neglected in Russia, rarely taught in American classrooms, and the subject of a relatively small number of monographs. While Kennedy remains a household name, the circumstances of his death have receded deeper into the past in mainstream discourse. Lee Harvey Oswald is almost universally assigned the role of the presidential assassin, as opposed to the alleged assassin. The Russian cultural expression "former people" (Бывшие люди) is a thematic concept used as a springboard to recover accurate accounts of the lives of the three influential figures. The intersection of the three lives comes into focus with the assassination of President Kennedy. The procedural flaws of the Warren Commission are examined along with the egregious shortcomings of the Warren Report, resulting in over a half-century of disinformation. At the more literal intersection of Houston and Elm Streets in Dallas, a turning point in modern history occurred on November 22, 1963. The significance of that event may be understood through the mosaic of three lives. James Norwood, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley) taught in the humanities and the performing arts at the University of Minnesota from 1985-2011. Among the curricula he offered was a semester course on the JFK assassination. He has published articles on President Kennedy's Vietnam policy and the life of Lee Harvey Oswald. At the time of the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of JFK, he delivered a lecture series at the University of Minnesota entitled "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: An Event That Changed History." "An engaging revisionist history of Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Oswald. Norwood supports his argument with 570 research endnotes and carefully balances a solid grasp of the relevant literature (even while questioning the underlying conclusions of mainstream scholars) with an accessible writing style. The book's inclusion of seven "Pictorial Essays" offers insightful analysis and visual images to accompany its re-evaluation of the three men." (Kirkus review)