Marina and Lee: The Tormented Love and Fatal Obsession Behind Lee Harvey Oswald's Assassination of John F. Kennedy

By Priscilla Johnson McMillan

Book Overview

"The single best book ever written on the Kennedy assassination" -- Thomas Mallon, author of Mrs. Paine's Garage: And the Murder of John F. Kennedy

"It is not at all easy to describe the power of Marina and Lee . . . It is far better than any other book about Kennedy . . . Other books about the Kennedy assassination are all smoke and no fire. Marina and Lee burns." --New York Times Book Review

Marina and Lee is an indispensable account of one of America's most traumatic events and a classic work of narrative history. In her meticulous--at times even moment by moment--account of Oswald's progress toward the assassination of JFK, Priscilla Johnson McMillan takes us inside Oswald's fevered mind and his manic marriage. Only a few weeks after the birth of their second child, Oswald's wife, Marina, hears of Kennedy's death and discovers that Lee's rifle is missing from the garage where it was stored. She knows that her husband has killed the President.

McMillan came to the story with a unique knowledge of the two main characters. In the 1950s, she worked for Kennedy and had known him well for a time. Later, working in Moscow as a journalist, she interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald during his attempt to defect to the Soviet Union. When she heard his name again on November 22, 1963, she said, "My God! I know that boy!"

Marina and Lee was written with the complete and exclusive cooperation of Oswald's Russian-born wife, Marina Prusakova, whom McMillan debriefed for seven months in the immediate aftermath of the President's assassination and her husband's nationally televised execution at the hands of Jack Ruby. The truth is far more compelling, and unsettling, than the most imaginative conspiracy theory. Marina and Lee is a human drama that is outrageous, heartbreaking, tragic, fascinating--and real.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586422162
• ISBN13: 9781586422165
• Release Date: August 2013
• Publisher: Steerforth Press
• Length: 688 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

"Marina and Lee" Gives Detailed Insight Into the Mind of an Assassin

"Marina and Lee", by Priscilla Johnson McMillan, is without a doubt the the best book available on the mind and personality of Lee Harvey Oswald, assassin of President John Kennedy. McMillian's excellent book sheds considerable light on who Lee Oswald was, how he developed into the man he became, how he thought, how he acted, what drove his actions, how he interacted with his wife and others, his ambitions, and ultimately, his final days before he entered the Texas Schoolbook Depository on November 22, 1963. Although McMillian focuses her attention on both Marina and Lee Oswald, (the book is essentially the recollections of Marina Oswald) the reader's attention is of course focused on learning what Lee Oswald was like as a person, and what forces drove him to act as he did. The reader obtains a very sympathetic viewpoint of Marina, which is natural considering the narrative is from Marina's point-of-view. However, the book strives for day-to-day historical accuracy, and the personalities of both Marina and Lee are presented warts and all. I believe it to be an accurate portrayal of both persons. McMillian, an American writer living in the Soviet Union, interviewed Lee Oswald in the USSR, when he defected there in 1959. She also extensively interviewed Oswald's wife Marina after the assassination. From these in-depth interviews, she is able to piece together the intensely and tragically flawed personality of Lee Oswald, and she ultimately builds to the conclusion that Oswald killed Kennedy on 11-22-63. Folks, this is a MUST-READ if you have interest in the Kennedy assassination, for it is the only book of its kind that lends intricate insight into the mind of Lee Oswald, helping the reader to understand the depravity of conscious that Oswald possessed. You will be amazed at the depth of insights McMillian provides the reader in regards to Oswald! After reading this book, one can come to understand that Oswald was most capable of politically-movitated killing, and must be the prime candidate for the assassination of President Kennedy. The book will grab you in the first chapter and hold your interest to the last chapter. I guarantee that after reading it, you will begin to understand how Oswald was capable of shooting President Kennedy, and how his intense drive to "be someone" led to his ultimate act. Get this book! Jim "Konedog" Koenig

This good book needs to be re-issued.

Shortly after the assassination of President John Kennedy, Priscilla McMillan contacted Oswald's widow, Marina, and spent considerable time with her. McMillan had interviewed Lee Oswald when he defected to Russia and had the added advantage of knowledge of Russia and Russians. She used this to persuade Marina to give an account of her life with Oswald. To this day, 2000, nobody has given a better account of Marina's view of their relationship. It is very worthwhile reading.