Most of the 400 letters I discovered after my father’s death in Vietnam were love letters. Because of this, I felt compelled to include a chapter in the draft of my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, where I resurrect his words and actions […]
Author: James b. Wells
JAMES 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.
We had a fantastic day at the Kentucky Book Festival yesterday. Sales at my table were terrific, and I thoroughly enjoyed my participation in the panel titled “Uncovering Family,” where all four panelists discussed their nonfiction works to an engaged audience. It was meaningful to be at the same bookstore where I launched my investigative […]
Categories
Event at the Kentucky Book Festival
Whether or not time, shame, ambivalence, prejudice, or the government has intentionally buried secrets about a member of your family, you’ll want to attend this panel on “Uncovering Family” at 11:00 am on the KCTCS stage at the Kentucky Book Festival tomorrow. Three other panelists and I will discuss our books and focus on the […]
West Virginia continued to welcome us this week with lots of great conversation and book sales at the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston. With West Virginia having one of the highest per-capita rates of veterans, I was hoping my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He […]
Categories
Event at Shawnee State University
Yesterday, we had a great author event at the Kricker Innovation Hub at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, OH. I was in conversation with Andrew Feight, Professor of American History and the Director of the Center for Public History. The event was attended by several locals, including cousin Mary Jo Pfleger, friend Laura Womack, students, […]
Categories
WSAZ TV Interview
WSAZ TV Channel 3 in Huntington, WV did an excellent job with their interview of me discussing my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew
Categories
Event at Our Heroes Military Museum
Our last event in Maine was at Our Heroes Military Museum in Lincoln. This is an incredible museum, all run by volunteers, most of whom are veterans. The veterans who attended the author event for my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, asked some […]
Categories
Podcast with Mission 22
Marcus Farris, an Army Veteran, engineer, and psychological operations officer who serves as the Post-Traumatic Growth Director at Mission 22, a non-profit organization that teaches veterans and families how to recover, reconnect, and rebuild, recently interviewed me for their Resiliency Program, a holistic initiative designed to support veterans, active-duty military, and their families in healing […]
Categories
Event at Ellsworth Public Library
The Ellsworth Public Library and Union River Book and Toy Company hosted a fantastic author event last night for my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew. I want to extend special thanks to Assistant Director Renee McManus and, particularly, to Berit Becker, the Communications […]
Categories
Event at Collingswood Book Festival
Brenda and I had a fantastic time at the Collingswood Book Festival in New Jersey. This was one of the largest book festivals we have ever attended, featuring over six blocks of streets lined with two rows of 10×10 pop-up tents where authors sold their books. The weather was perfect, sales were great; we sold […]
James B. Wells 