James B. Wells Author Talk

A CIA coverup and a son's odyssey to find the father he never knew

The Kentucky Room welcomes James B. Wells to discuss his award-winning investigative memoir Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew.

Twenty-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 youngest son James discovers hundreds of letters his father, Major Jack J. Wells, wrote his mother, Betty, over two wars and a career in the U.S. Army and State  Department. The letters compel James to learn more about the father he lost as a child. When he discovers his father was a whistleblower and the details of his death are inexplicably classified, an Odyssean journey for the truth begins.

Through archival and field research across two continents, James not only learns about events that shaped his father's love for God, family, country, truth, and duty but also a government lie and a CIA coverup of his death. As the details of a love story about moral injury, post-traumatic resilience, and the consequences of truth-telling evolve, a son connects with the man he barely knew and finds himself along the way. After completing most of his research, where multiple sources corroborate what may be the actual circumstances of his father's death, James seeks spiritual answers that attempt to bring him peace with what he's learned and what he may never know.

James 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 recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given 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.

Registration is suggested.

A Likely Story bookstore will be on hand to sell copies of the book and a book-signing will follow.