One of the enduring issues that various people or groups still debate is who was responsible for the death of JFK. Don't worry. I am not going to review all the theories or argue for or against the FBI, or the CIA, or the Russians, or the Cubans, or Uncle Guido and his pals in the Mafia.

What I do want to bring to your attention is the one great book that anyone with a real scholar's interest in the assassination must study. I almost said "read," but that would be misleading. At just over 1500 pages and several pounds, this encyclopedic tool requires time, patience, a sturdy table, and a mind uncluttered with preconceived notions, political agendas, or messages from a galaxy far, far away.

The book is titled Reclaiming History. It was researched and written by Vincent Bugliosi over a twenty year period. You may remember Mr. Bugliosi from his work as the prosecuting attorney at the trial of the Manson "family," among other things. In this instance, it is his purpose to take on all comers and prove that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and killed the President. There is no point of view that is not covered and virtually no person of interest that is not examined including 44 specific groups, 214 potential co-conspirators, and 82 people named at one time or another as a shooter.

This is not popular history. It is not a fun read or a clever page turner to snuggle up with after a hot bath. This is get down and dirty, bring your "A" game serious historical detective work. Come looking for one of those breezy blogs that you can find on the internet every day and you will be disappointed. But come you must, if you care about the truth. You may not like what you find, but you will most likely be impressed and possibly overwhelmed by the logic of Mr. Bugliosi who reminds us that, in the end, it is the evidence that matters.

If you have an opinion on what happened in Dealy Plaza and have not researched its treatment in Reclaiming History, you should do so as soon as possible. Afterwards, you will have three choices: 1. Ignore the truth 2. Change your mind or 3. Go back to work and find better information than the author.

This book came to mind not only because of the anniversary of the assassination, but also because we appear to be living in a confused time where enthusiastic social networking often replaces careful thought. At their best, entities like Facebook and Twitter are very useful and promote diverse and dynamic ideas. Unfortunately, they also are regularly abused by those who confuse rudeness with insight. A rumor or accusation goes viral, judgments are made on gossip and innuendo. We haven't quite worked out how to deal with the phenomenon of universal communication versus the need for accurate information. Read the comments at the end of many blogs. They are often the equivalent of two little boys yelling "Oh Yeah?" "Yeah!". With Reclaiming History, you have to use the index, find the right pages, read carefully, think objectively, and conclude reasonably. And for this lesson of intellectual integrity, I am, as we approach Thanksgiving, very grateful to the heart and mind and dogged determination of Vincent Bugliosi.