13 Seconds [Hardcover]

This book adds virtually nothing to the body of literature already out there on the Kent State Massacre. Though the criticism seemed petty when I first heard it, the fact that Caputo calls Portage County "Porter County" in the context of the book is really lame. It smacks of a lack of familiarity with the area (or a 10 second Google search), and a rush to publish this book in time to capitalize on the 35th anniversary of May 4th in 2005 (the book came out just before then).

The reason why I give this book 3 stars instead of 1 is its appendix. There are compiled, together in one convenient place, the original text of a number of relevant documents like the report of Nixon's Presidential Commision on Campus Unrest (1970), which I found surprisingly better than expected. But that was merely a pleasant surprise after a pretty disappointing book, and those documents could easily be obtained elsewhere for less money. The book is not worth buying for them; maybe borrowing from your public library.

An earlier post was probably correct, it appears that Philip Caputo's "13 Seconds-A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings" was written mostly to provide a book to accompany DVD Documentary "Kent State: The Day The War Came Home". The DVD is included inside the book and provides a good overview of what happened on May 4, 1970.

While Caputo's book could use some minor fact checking I don't see any need to be suspicious of any major facts. There are not major distortions or significant errors, just confused details from someone who obviously did little (if any )primary research and rushed the book to print.

About half the book is a detailed chronology of the events and the text from "The Report of The President's Commission on Campus Unrest" (Sept-1970).

Which leaves only 122 pages of Caputo's writing and this is not exactly in small print. Yet besides the DVD I recommend this book without reservation. Its contribution is not in the retelling of what has been told before but in Caputo's focus on both a historical context and his use of this perspective to help the reader make strides toward healing 35 years later.

Caputo begins with a simple description: "Suddenly, a line of guardsmen wheeled, and making no distinction among active demonstrators, bystanders, and students merely walking to class, knelt and fired, killing four, wounding nine". He then cites the Boston Massacre of 1770; pointing out the similarity between the atmosphere in the early 1770's and the late 1960's-early 1970's, and the military occupation of Boston and of the Kent State campus. Then he contrasts the two events, particularly the much closer proximity of the colonists to the British troops and the much more satisfactory disciplining of the troops involved in that incident.

Caputo is pretty objective in handing out blame for Kent State but ultimately finds it cannot be shared equally. He cites "Henry V": "The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make....".

The healing comes from an assessment of the enduring historical impact as Caputo dismisses most of what is usually cited, pointing instead to lessons from Kent State applicable now that we are fighting another morally dubious war. That (even a democracy) when not led by wise and temperate leaders, and when those leaders are given reason to perceive that they are executing the popular will, will resort to virtually any means to silence those who disagree too vigorously with its policies. That in 1970 the Ohio governor was acting as an agent of the people's will; that a true democracy must tolerate opposing points of view or it is just a dictatorship of the majority. Finally, that a citizen who believes his or her government to be in the wrong has the right to protest through peaceful civil disobedience, when other means of redress have been exhausted.

Perhaps even more appropriate is the following from another source: "Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real though, the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you, turn you, mold you and shape you into something you're not. The only upside of anger then, is the person you become, hopefully someone that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid of its journey. Someone that knows that the truth is, at best, a partially told story. That anger, like growth, comes in spurts and fits and in its wake leaves a new chance of acceptance and the promise of calm".

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

s someone who has researched the Kent State shootings for thirty some years, I bought this to keep current with the literature on the topic. Having spent hundreds and hundreds of hours in archives and with the FBI files, I don't expect many new Kent State insights from popular literature. But, with almost all the books I really like on Kent State out of print, I was hoping for a book I could recommend to others. Being a great fan of "Rumor of War," I expected Caputo to use his excellent story-telling skills to bring people closer to the horrors of that day.

Unfortunately, on page 15, I discovered what would become a pattern with this book: sloppy research and/or a careless disregard for basic facts. On page 15, Caputo is discussing the Weatherman when he mentions "Bill Flanagan." Bill Flanagan? Caputo must mean the Weatherman Brian Flanagan, not Bill Flanagan. Maybe just one little error.

But on p. 32, Caputo tells us that the "Porter County coroner had opened an inquiry into the four deaths." Porter County? Where's Porter County? What Caputo meant was PORTAGE County.

On p. 68, Caputo tells us that Jeff Miller transferred to Kent State in January 1970 from the University of Michigan. But he didn't. Jeff transferred from Michigan State University. And don't tell any MSU grad that it's the same as U of M. (Or vice versa.)

Because of silly errors like the above, it's impossible to trust the information that Caputo presents. On p. 48, he says that "a couple of students suffered minor bayonet wounds" on Saturday night. If this is true, it is big news. But Caputo has given me no reason to believe it's true. Instead, I believe he's referencing the students who were bayoneted on Sunday, not Saturday, night. And that is not news at all.

Needless to say, I am very disappointed in this book. It appears to have been done quickly and haphazardly, solely to provide a book to accompany the "Kent State: The Day The War Came Home" DVD. This excellent DVD will give anyone interested in the shootings a good overview and understanding of what happened on May 4, 1970. I give the book two stars because the price of the book and DVD, combined, is more than reasonable for the DVD alone. But, if you read the book, be suspicious of facts contained therein. Until you have verified them with other sources, I would discourage you from citing them as truth.

Lastly, while I have not yet studied the chronology (which takes up about half the book), I expect it to be helpful in pinpointing dates of certain events. But my needs regarding Kent State materials differ dramatically from what most individuals will want. Anyone seriously interested in Kent State would have benefited from an index but, alas, Caputo has not provided one.

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