Meticulously researched and reported ... This is an admirably patient and thorough book, in which even the copious footnotes are worth poring over ... One can quibble with the amount of space VanDeMark devotes to Students for a Democratic Society and its radical, violent and cluelessly revolutionary offshoot, the Weathermen, both of which had only indirect impact on the events of May 4. But you can also see the context that the author is establishing.
Comprehensive, with copious footnotes, Kent State reads smoothly but is at times bogged down in details: Is it necessary to know what everyone was wearing? However, the book’s relevance to today’s cultural and political divide is inescapable.
VanDeMark succeeds at helping readers understand that atmosphere, creating a chilling narrative of the spark and ensuing tragedy ... With a straightforward writing style, VanDeMark provides both a micro and macro look at the events leading up to the massacre.
Fine-grained ... VanDeMark also uses McManus’s account and his own exhaustive research into the shooting’s aftermath to paint both the guardsmen and the students as victims of a malfunctioning system. It’s a somewhat forced bit of bothsidesing that gives an uncomfortable pass to McManus for his years of evasiveness ... But VanDeMark’s thorough documentation of events is worthwhile, especially for its urgent warnings.
