UNDER REVIEW! A NEW BOOK!
Assassinated Fathers:
A New Chapter in the Lincoln, JFK, and King Story
By
Lou Buttino
(Narrative Non-Fiction)
“A fuller portrait of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., begins with this book. A greater understanding of their children’s plight has its start in these pages. And the writing of American history may never be the same.”
—LFB
Taken together, and by far, Lincoln, JFK, and King are the most written about public figures in our history. They have been written about from nearly every conceivable angle except one. They were fathers.
Did it matter? At Gettysburg, Lincoln spoke more like a grieving father than a sitting President. But this hasn’t been put forth before. Because he was a father, JFK made the fate of children a priority during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This, too, has not been factored into all the analyses of the event. Dr. King took his sons with him when he was certain of his own death. Why then and not before?
Only two books focus on Lincoln as a father; there are no books on JFK and King as fathers.
Their children are also a focus of the book. The children of assassination were treated to extremes of deference and disappointment. They became celebrities and then were chastised for not living up to their fathers—or replacing them on the national stage. Each of the children had to individuate in the shadow of men who in death became greater than they had been in life. Each child was compelled to defend and promote each father’s legacy.
The information and perspective is new and a breakthrough story.
Optioned! A New Screenplay!
After winning ten consecutive screenplay competitions, Shadowboxing the Mob: The Carmen Basilio Story was optioned by Ridgerock Entertainment Group and will soon go into production. The story is about legendary welterweight and middleweight boxer Carmen Basilio whose toughest opponents were outside the ring. He fought the best, including the great Sugar Ray Robinson. The mob controlled boxing but unlike Jake LaMotta, they couldn’t get Basilio to do their bidding. One of the most popular fighters in history, Basilio brought integrity to the sport and helped jail mobsters. Click on: Ridgerock Entertainment Upcoming Releases
Ridgerock Entertainment, an independent film production company, has produced films with stars such as Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, John Cusack, and Robert De Niro. The company’s last film, Black Mass, is a biopic, starring Johnny Depp, about a South Boston crime boss turned FBI informant. But “Whitey” Bulger also played the FBI big-time…Johnny Depp is Whitey Bulger in new Black Mass spot
Under Review!
Going Home
The French philosopher Albert Camus, no unbridled optimist, said that not everything could be summed up in negativity and despair. Going Home is the story of my hometown, Canastota, NY, and a generation of onion farmers, two world-boxing champions, a particular brand of humor, and a place that has remained home no matter where I wandered these past seventy years. It’s a touching story of family, friendship, and football. It’s about small towns everywhere, long ago and now. It’s about secrets, apologies, and forgiveness. It’s what I saw and felt, going home, after being away many years.
To see clips of the documentary, click on the hyperlinks below:
Chapter 17: “Last Eyes” RT: 02:22
Chapter 9: “From Canastota, New York!” RT: 02:36
Chapter 11: “Friends Forever” RT: 06:49
Recently Published Articles
I uncovered a serious flaw in the discipline of faculty at UNC Wilmington, where I taught for twenty years. The first is titled “Is Faculty Accountability Lacking at UNC Wilmington?” (February 19, 2018). The National Review posted a follow-up article: “More Lousy University Policies”
A second article is: “Faculty Accountability Is Terrible—Even Students Have Better Standards,” was published on April 23, 2018.
Lou Buttino 