The Kentucky Room welcomes James B. Wells to discuss his award-winning investigative memoir Because: A CIA Coverup a nd a Son&rsquo\;s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew.
\nTwenty -six years after the CIA Air America plane his father is a passenger in is reportedly \;brought down by hostile fire in South Vietnam\, his youn gest son James discovers hundreds of \;letters his father\, Major Jack J. Wells\, wrote his mother\, Betty\, over two wars and a career in the&n bsp\;U.S. Army and State \; Department. The letters compel James to le arn more about the father he lost \;as a child. When he discovers his father was a whistleblower and the details of his death are \;inexplic ably classified\, an Odyssean journey for the truth begins. \;
\nThrough archival and field research across two continents\, James not onl y learns about events \;that shaped his father's love for God\, family \, country\, truth\, and duty but also a government lie \;and a CIA co verup of his death. As the details of a love story about moral injury\, po st-traumatic \;resilience\, and the consequences of truth-telling evol ve\, a son connects with the man he barely \;knew and finds himself al ong the way. After completing most of his research\, where multiple \; sources corroborate what may be the actual circumstances of his father's d eath\, James seeks \;spiritual answers that attempt to bring him peace with what he's learned and what he may never \;know.
\nJames B. Wells is a retired criminology and criminal justice Professor Emeritus in the \;School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice\, Safety\, and Military Science at Eastern \;Kentucky University\, and is the rec ipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences \;John Howard Award\, an award given to recognize an \;individual who has made signi ficant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. \;A \;former carpenter\, soldier\, and correctional officer in a super-ma ximum-security prison and later \;as a researcher/planner assisting ar chitects in prison design\, he has multiple degrees\, including an \;M .S. in Criminal Justice\, a Ph.D. in Research\, and an MFA in Creative Wri ting. He&rsquo\;s authored or \;co-authored over sixty-five books\, ch apters\, articles\, and essays\, as well as over a hundred and \;fifty research reports for various local\, state\, and federal agencies.
\n< p>Registration is suggested.\nA Likely Story bookstore will be on h and to sell copies of the book and a book-signing will follow.
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