James B. WellsJAMES B. WELLS is a retired criminology and criminal justice professor in the School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science at Eastern Kentucky University, and is the recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given intermittently, upon significant demand, to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. A former carpenter, soldier, and correctional officer in a super-maximum-security prison and later as a researcher/planner assisting architects in prison design, he has multiple degrees, including an M.S. in Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in Research, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He’s authored or co-authored over sixty-five books, chapters, articles, and essays, as well as over a hundred and fifty research reports for various local, state, and federal agencies. Recent essays from his research and memoir work appear or are forthcoming in Collateral Journal, About Place Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Military Experience and the Arts, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Shift, Proud to be: Writing by American Warriors, Trajectory Journal, and From Pen to Page III: More Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition.
His investigative memoir about his father's still CIA-classified death in Vietnam in 1965, titled Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, will be launched on Father's Day weekend, 2025. Links to publications, presentations, trailers, social media, blog, and other information can be found at https://jamesbwells.com. James enjoys spending much of his leisure time with his spouse on their Lexington, Kentucky farm located on the palisades of the Kentucky River, where he is an organic gardener and beekeeper.
Of the 58,281 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, 33,103 were just 18 years old — barely adults, their lives cut short before they had truly begun. I am honored to join Vietnam War veteran Peter Berres for a timely conversation in recognition of National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The event takes place […]
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking before the Military History group at the Scott County Library, which meets bimonthly. Having grown up as an avid reader of military history, I knew this was the perfect audience for my award-winning investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He […]
Last night’s Burn the Mic event at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning was a wonderful evening of poetry. Kevin Nance was the featured author, sharing work from his latest collection, Smoke, published by Accents Publishing. His poems were compelling throughout, but the ones that stayed with me most were those drawn from his […]
Brenda and I are deeply grateful to the remarkable person we were fortunate to meet on a Florida beach, who prefers to remain anonymous. The bond we formed through our shared experiences of losing our fathers at a young age—and navigating the challenges and triumphs that followed—was both profound and inspiring. Your generosity in acquiring […]
Yesterday, the Anderson County High School Indoor Street Fair turned out to be an unexpectedly rewarding experience. I signed and sold an entire box of books, but even more meaningful were the conversations I had with several fascinating people who felt compelled to have a copy of my award-winning investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup […]
Yesterday, I received an official invitation to be honored, alongside my father, for our whistleblowing—an experience I chronicle in my award-winning investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew. The ceremony will be held during National Whistleblowing Appreciation Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on […]
I finally saw the type of plane that carried my father to his death—a plane the CIA still refuses to declassify and release the crash investigation report for. Hoping to see it at the USAF Museum in Dayton, OH a few years ago, I learned it had been loaned to the Aviation Museum in Warner […]
Brenda and I recently completed another exciting phase of our 2026 book tour with a highly successful author event at the Amelia Island Book Festival, where we sold an entire box of books. As with previous events, the most rewarding aspect was connecting with readers and hearing their personal stories about what drew them to […]
Yesterday, Brenda and I attended the Georgia VFW Mid-Winter Conference at the Macon Marriott City Center. We sold several books, but the true highlight of my author events at VFW gatherings is always connecting with the veterans and, occasionally, their widows who serve in the VFW Auxiliary. One gentleman, LTC (US Army Retired) Jim Droskinis, […]
Talk about serendipity! James Bradley, a five-time New York Times best-selling author, whose books grace my office, contacted me via email. We are now reading each other’s latest work and corresponding. His latest novel, Precious Freedom—like my investigative memoir Because—through decades of research, aims to reveal the truth about US involvement in Vietnam, expose the […]
James B. Wells