On the same day that Peter Landesmann‘s Parkland opens stateside (9.20), an anti-Parkland book called “Reclaiming Parkland” will hit the stands. The author is JFK assassination-conspiracy authority, researcher and finger-pointer James DiEugenio. Parkland embraces the “Oswald did it alone” theology in Vincent Bugliosi‘s “Reclaiming History” and DiEugenio is a sworn opponent of this. The apparent result is that Parkland producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman plus their failed attempt to make Bugliosi’s book into a miniseries will face scrutiny in his book.

“Reclaiming Parkland” “exposes the questionable origins of ‘Reclaiming History’ in a dubious mock trial for cable television, in which Bugliosi played the role of an attorney prosecuting Lee Harvey Oswald for murder, and how this formed the basis for the epic tome,” the Amazon copy reads. “DiEugenio details the myriad problems with Bugliosi’s book, and explores the cooperation of the mainstream press in concealing these many faults during the publicity campaign for the book and how this lack of scrutiny led Hanks and Goetzman to purchase the film rights. DiEugenio then shows how the film eventually adapted from that book, entitled Parkland, does not even resemble ‘Reclaiming History‘, though the script for that film displays the same imbalance that ‘Reclaiming History’ does.

“‘Reclaiming Parkland‘ also includes extended looks at the little-known aspects of the lives and careers of Bugliosi, Hanks, and Goetzman — including Bugliosi’s three attempts at political office and a review of the Tate-LaBianca murders in the light of today’s knowledge of that case. DiEugenio also looks at the connections between Washington and Hollywood, as well as the CIA influence in the film colony today. ‘Reclaiming Parkland’ is a truly unique book that delves into the Kennedy assassination, the New Hollywood, and the political influence on how films are made today.”