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The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson I Kindle Edition
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
"Proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro's evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson's unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually works are---let it be said flat out---at the summit of American historical writing." --Washington Post
"A monumental political saga . . . powerful and stirring. It's an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times
"Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography . . . A sweeping, richly detailed portrait . . . vivid [with] Caro's astonishing concern for the humanity of his characters. An awesome achievement." --Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
"Stands at the pinnacle of the biographical art." --Donald R. Morris, Houston Post
"The major biography of recent years. Brilliant . . . Magisterial . . . Caro has given us an American life of compelling fascination. A benchmark beside which other biographies will be measured for some time to come." --Alden Whitman, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
"An ineradicable likeness of an American giant. Caro has brought to life a young man so believable and unforgettable that we can hear his heartbeat and touch him." --Henry F. Graff, Professor of History, Columbia University
" Epic. A brief review cannot convey the depth, range and detail of this fascinating story. Caro is a meticulous historian. A monument of interpretive biography." --Michael R. Beschloss, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
"Splendid and moving. At this rate Caro's work will eventually acquire Gibbon-like dimensions, and Gibbon-like passion. . . . Caro is a phenomenon . . . an artful writer, with a remarkable power to evoke and characterize politicians, landsc...
"Proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro's evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson's unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually works are---let it be said flat out---at the summit of American historical writing." --Washington Post
"A monumental political saga . . . powerful and stirring. It's an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times
"Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography . . . A sweeping, richly detailed portrait . . . vivid [with] Caro's astonishing concern for the humanity of his characters. An awesome achievement." --Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
"Stands at the pinnacle of the biographical art." --Donald R. Morris, Houston Post
"The major biography of recent years. Brilliant . . . Magisterial . . . Caro has given us an American life of compelling fascination. A benchmark beside which other biographies will be measured for some time to come." --Alden Whitman, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
"An ineradicable likeness of an American giant. Caro has brought to life a young man so believable and unforgettable that we can hear his heartbeat and touch him." --Henry F. Graff, Professor of History, Columbia University
" Epic. A brief review cannot convey the depth, range and detail of this fascinating story. Caro is a meticulous historian. A monument of interpretive biography." --Michael R. Beschloss, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
"Splendid and moving. At this rate Caro's work will eventually acquire Gibbon-like dimensions, and Gibbon-like passion. . . . Caro is a phenomenon . . . an artful writer, with a remarkable power to evoke and characterize politicians, landsc...
From the Publisher
8 1.5-hour cassettes
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
"Proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro's evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson's unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually works are---let it be said flat out---at the summit of American historical writing." --Washington Post
"A monumental political saga . . . powerful and stirring. It's an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times
"Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography . . . A sweeping, richly detailed portrait . . . vivid [with] Caro's astonishing concern for the humanity of his characters. An awesome achievement." --Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
"Stands at the pinnacle of the biographical art." --Donald R. Morris, Houston Post
"The major biography of recent years. Brilliant . . . Magisterial . . . Caro has given us an American life of compelling fascination. A benchmark beside which other biographies will be measured for some time to come." --Alden Whitman, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
"An ineradicable likeness of an American giant. Caro has brought to life a young man so believable and unforgettable that we can hear his heartbeat and touch him." --Henry F. Graff, Professor of History, Columbia University
" Epic. A brief review cannot convey the depth, range and detail of this fascinating story. Caro is a meticulous historian. A monument of interpretive biography." --Michael R. Beschloss, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
"Splendid and moving. At this rate Caro's work will eventually acquire Gibbon-like dimensions, and Gibbon-like passion. . . . Caro is a phenomenon . . . an artful writer, with a remarkable power to evoke and characterize politicians, landscapes, relationships. This massive book is almost continually exciting." --Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times
"By every measure---depth of research, brilliance of conception, the seamless flow of the prose---it is a masterpiece of biography." --Dan Cryer, Newsday
"Extraordinary. A powerful, absorbing, at times awe-inspiring, and often deeply alarming story. A vivid picture of the emergence of one of this century's authentically great politicians." --Alan Brinkley, Boston Sunday Globe
"The book races at Johnson's own whirlwind pace. A tour de force that blends relentless detective work, polemical vigor and artful storytelling into the most compelling narrative of American political life since All the King's Men." --Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle
"A landmark in American political biography. The definitive life of LBJ. Caro has written a Johnson biography that is richer and fuller and may well be one of the freshest and most revealing studies ever written about a major historical figure." --Steve Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A masterful narrative on a grand scale, a fascinating portrait of LBJ's activities set against a fully drawn canvas of life in the Texas hill country. By far the most significant Johnson book to appear." --Library Journal
"No mere political biography. Caro is on the way to becoming our finest fine-tooth-comb historian." --Jack Goodman, Salt Lake Tribune
"Magnificent. For understanding our recent past and the men and policies that brought the country to its present condition and aimed us toward whatever our future is to be, it's an immensely important work." --Bryan Woolley, Dallas Times Herald
"This is a watershed book. Caro writes with sweek and passion. From the first sentence I was hooked. All other biographies of Johnson pale in comparison." -- Joseph P. Lash
"Engrossing and revealing. This fascinating, immensely long and highly readable book is the fullest account we have--and are ever likely to have--of the early years of LBJ." --David Herbert Donald, front page, NY Times Book Review
"A superb and unique biography...Meticulous in research, grand in scale, this is a major work that will remain a tower of its kind."-- Barbara Tuchman
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
"Proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro's evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson's unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually works are---let it be said flat out---at the summit of American historical writing." --Washington Post
"A monumental political saga . . . powerful and stirring. It's an overwhelming experience to read The Path to Power." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times
"Not only a historical but a literary event. An epic biography . . . A sweeping, richly detailed portrait . . . vivid [with] Caro's astonishing concern for the humanity of his characters. An awesome achievement." --Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
"Stands at the pinnacle of the biographical art." --Donald R. Morris, Houston Post
"The major biography of recent years. Brilliant . . . Magisterial . . . Caro has given us an American life of compelling fascination. A benchmark beside which other biographies will be measured for some time to come." --Alden Whitman, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
"An ineradicable likeness of an American giant. Caro has brought to life a young man so believable and unforgettable that we can hear his heartbeat and touch him." --Henry F. Graff, Professor of History, Columbia University
" Epic. A brief review cannot convey the depth, range and detail of this fascinating story. Caro is a meticulous historian. A monument of interpretive biography." --Michael R. Beschloss, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
"Splendid and moving. At this rate Caro's work will eventually acquire Gibbon-like dimensions, and Gibbon-like passion. . . . Caro is a phenomenon . . . an artful writer, with a remarkable power to evoke and characterize politicians, landscapes, relationships. This massive book is almost continually exciting." --Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times
"By every measure---depth of research, brilliance of conception, the seamless flow of the prose---it is a masterpiece of biography." --Dan Cryer, Newsday
"Extraordinary. A powerful, absorbing, at times awe-inspiring, and often deeply alarming story. A vivid picture of the emergence of one of this century's authentically great politicians." --Alan Brinkley, Boston Sunday Globe
"The book races at Johnson's own whirlwind pace. A tour de force that blends relentless detective work, polemical vigor and artful storytelling into the most compelling narrative of American political life since All the King's Men." --Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle
"A landmark in American political biography. The definitive life of LBJ. Caro has written a Johnson biography that is richer and fuller and may well be one of the freshest and most revealing studies ever written about a major historical figure." --Steve Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A masterful narrative on a grand scale, a fascinating portrait of LBJ's activities set against a fully drawn canvas of life in the Texas hill country. By far the most significant Johnson book to appear." --Library Journal
"No mere political biography. Caro is on the way to becoming our finest fine-tooth-comb historian." --Jack Goodman, Salt Lake Tribune
"Magnificent. For understanding our recent past and the men and policies that brought the country to its present condition and aimed us toward whatever our future is to be, it's an immensely important work." --Bryan Woolley, Dallas Times Herald
"This is a watershed book. Caro writes with sweek and passion. From the first sentence I was hooked. All other biographies of Johnson pale in comparison." -- Joseph P. Lash
"Engrossing and revealing. This fascinating, immensely long and highly readable book is the fullest account we have--and are ever likely to have--of the early years of LBJ." --David Herbert Donald, front page, NY Times Book Review
"A superb and unique biography...Meticulous in research, grand in scale, this is a major work that will remain a tower of its kind."-- Barbara Tuchman
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Amazon.com Review
The profound understanding of the uses and abuses of power Robert Caro displayed in his 1974 biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker, is a scathing achievement the author surpassed with panache in this, his second book. Caro's dogged research and refusal to accept received wisdom results in an eye-opening portrait that unforgettably captures the titanic personality of Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973). Though stronger on Johnson's duplicity and naked self-promotion than his intelligence and charm, Caro nails it all. He chronicles the evolution of an attention-demanding youth from the Texas hill country into a seasoned congressman who would abandon his ardent espousal of the New Deal as soon as it ceased to be expedient. The dirty details begin with college elections that earn young Lyndon a reputation as a crook and a liar; Caro goes on to unravel financial shenanigans of impressive ingenuity. Johnson's consuming desire to get ahead and his political genius "unencumbered by philosophy or ideology" are staggering. The White House, Great Society, and Vietnam lie ahead when the main narrative closes in 1941, but the roots of Johnson's future achievements and tragic failures are laid bare. This biography may well stand as the best book written in the second half of the 20th century about personal ambition inextricably linked with historic change. --Wendy Smith
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Inside Flap
This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart. It follows him from the Hill Country to New Deal Washington, from his boyhood through the years of the Depression to his debut as Congressman, his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, at age 31, of the national power for which he hungered. In this book, we are brought as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process.
Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, was a number one national best seller and, like The Path to Power, received the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, was a number one national best seller and, like The Path to Power, received the National Book Critics Circle Award.
"From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Robert A. Caro has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, twice won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the National Book Award, the Gold Medal in Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Francis Parkman Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that “exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist.” In 2010, President Obama presented him with the National Humanities Medal. Caro lives in New York City with his wife, Ina, an historian and writer.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product details
- ASIN : B002GKGB0U
- Publisher : Vintage (November 23, 2011)
- Publication date : November 23, 2011
- Language: : English
- File size : 19713 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 1405 pages
- Lending : Not Enabled
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#62,495 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #59 in History of Anthropology
- #103 in Biographies of US Presidents
- #109 in Biographies of Political Leaders
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
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4.7 out of 5
712 global ratings
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017
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This book about the first years of LBJ's political life is nothing if not thorough. A lot of pages and a lot of interesting information about a man who while certainly flawed in many ways ended up doing a lot of good as President. Caro's research is exhaustive. In fact, maybe too much. I found myself skimming a bit when he repeated several times stories to illustrate a point. I bought the second volume when I bought this first volume, but don't plan to begin the second volume any time soon. A break is needed. That said, I do plan to continue the 4 volume series and certainly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys biographies in general, but political bios in particular.
23 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
Means of Ascent is the second book in Robert Caro’s life and times of Lyndon Baines Johnson. At the start of the book we see LBJ coming back from his naval service in the Pacific and returning to his Congressional duties in Washington. After his unsuccessful run for a U.S. Senate seat in 1941 we see Johnson returning to his congressional duties where quite frankly he was unhappy as he did not have the seniority to chair any consequential committees. His sights were set again on the U.S. Senate with the Senatorial race of 1948.
At this time in the book the concentration will be on the two primary Democratic races in which LBJ was a huge underdog and we will see the makings of the ultimate politician as he will use all his political acumen and political favors to campaign using the Texas tactics of buying votes and in the end using the new flying contraption called a helicopter to cover vast distances on an exhausting daily basis. Never in the history of Senatorial has campaigning taken on 14 to 16 hour days with constantly pushing to cover ground that his main opponent Coke Stevens could not possibly do.
But the fact does remain that even though LBJ had the money, the ambition and the crooked politicians in hand he still remained behind when the votes were counted. Coke Stevens was an institution and it was not until Johnson had to pull out all the stops and had votes counted for LBJ which were not actual votes.
Caro shows a truly fantastic story containing two primaries where LBJ had worked the corrupt Texas political system to save his political life. It did not end until the last primary had gone to court. In this depiction of LBJ we see a highly energetic man that will do anything to win, and in doing so we see a man who in doing so sharpened his back room political skills which would be seen later when he led the Senate to some of the greatest left wing legislation
ever seen.
It should be noted that LBJ used the helicopter to fight for his political life when 20 years later as President it was the helicopter which would become the symbol for the Vietnam War in which quite frankly put an end to his political life. The irony of it all!!
At this time in the book the concentration will be on the two primary Democratic races in which LBJ was a huge underdog and we will see the makings of the ultimate politician as he will use all his political acumen and political favors to campaign using the Texas tactics of buying votes and in the end using the new flying contraption called a helicopter to cover vast distances on an exhausting daily basis. Never in the history of Senatorial has campaigning taken on 14 to 16 hour days with constantly pushing to cover ground that his main opponent Coke Stevens could not possibly do.
But the fact does remain that even though LBJ had the money, the ambition and the crooked politicians in hand he still remained behind when the votes were counted. Coke Stevens was an institution and it was not until Johnson had to pull out all the stops and had votes counted for LBJ which were not actual votes.
Caro shows a truly fantastic story containing two primaries where LBJ had worked the corrupt Texas political system to save his political life. It did not end until the last primary had gone to court. In this depiction of LBJ we see a highly energetic man that will do anything to win, and in doing so we see a man who in doing so sharpened his back room political skills which would be seen later when he led the Senate to some of the greatest left wing legislation
ever seen.
It should be noted that LBJ used the helicopter to fight for his political life when 20 years later as President it was the helicopter which would become the symbol for the Vietnam War in which quite frankly put an end to his political life. The irony of it all!!
19 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
I've read several presidential biographies, this one is unlike any I have ever read. Because this book is a multi-volume series, it can take its time to develop and it is filled with so much rich detail that a single biography alone could not even compare. For example, Robert Caro spends the first 5 or so chapters of the book going through the Johnson family history and the history of the Hill Country, which gives the reader a more complete picture of Johnson growing up. He will stray from the story of Johnson and have chapters devoted to influential people in his like Sam Rayburn or George and Herman Brown of Brown and Root, a major political donor and source of his early power in congress. All of this provides such a deeper understanding of the life of Lyndon Johnson. I'm visiting the Johnson Presenditial museum in 2 weeks, I'll be interested to see what I think of it compared to the details of these books.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2020
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the first volume of caro’s lyndon johnson biography is situated in the context of texas, how the state formed the life and personal history of lyndon johnson, one man’s story steeped in texan politics, texan issues and texan personalities, not least, a charismatic johnson ancestor as colorful as any cinematic western hero. from the settling of the hill country of texas, the hard lives of farmers, the wealthy oilmen, the builders gambling on large projects, to washington under hoover’s administration. during the depression, protestors, known as the bonus marchers, unemployed veterans, seeking an early return on their bonus certificates for service in the first world war, cash payments promised in 1945, marched on washington in 1932 and set up camps. president herbert hoover had them moved by the army at the points of fixed bayonets and tear gas. he refused federal assistance to millions of starving americans. he said hoboes had it good, sometimes eating ten meals a day, that people in the streets selling apples were where they wanted to be, making money and doing okay. during a re-election campaign stop in detroit, crowds shouted at the president, ‘Hang Hoover, Hang Hoover’. under hoover’s administration, johnson as a congessional assistant made promises to the texan people on which he could not deliver, all that changed under the roosevelt administration and the new deal.
important to his gaining power in washington was the personal relationship johnson formed with the powerful sam rayburn. caro provides a biographical sketch of sam rayburn and his role in writing new deal legislation.
how electricity came to the harsh rural hill country is riveting reading experience. the building of the marshall ford dam stalled by legality of property rights, a problem the district congressman would address, but before he could write legislation he died. his death, an opportunity to enter politics, was seized by the 28 year old lyndon johnson who fought as underdog in a field of eight other candidates for the seat. before other parts could come together and johnson be instrumental in bringing his home county into the modern age, he had to win the election for the congressional seat, and the texas builders were behind him. riveting stuff.
important to his gaining power in washington was the personal relationship johnson formed with the powerful sam rayburn. caro provides a biographical sketch of sam rayburn and his role in writing new deal legislation.
how electricity came to the harsh rural hill country is riveting reading experience. the building of the marshall ford dam stalled by legality of property rights, a problem the district congressman would address, but before he could write legislation he died. his death, an opportunity to enter politics, was seized by the 28 year old lyndon johnson who fought as underdog in a field of eight other candidates for the seat. before other parts could come together and johnson be instrumental in bringing his home county into the modern age, he had to win the election for the congressional seat, and the texas builders were behind him. riveting stuff.
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Mat
5.0 out of 5 stars
EDITED - Superb book - but avoid the Pimlico paperback.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2019Verified Purchase
This is a fantastic book, it is written beautifully - the story flows from page to page and the early chapters of life in the 19th Century Hill Country are utterly gripping. It is a page turner.
[What follows is my original review from July 2019, since amended below]
However, I am annoyed. The edition on sale here is the Pimlico edition, the paperback. Barely 37 pages in a whole section of book just fell apart and came away from the binding. Now pages jut out, get bent, torn when you put it down, slip out and fall away etc etc. I value my books, take care of them and often re-read them or refer to them for reference again and again. A pressing that disintegrates within the first chapter is not going to stand up to repeat readings. A book (indeed series) this masterful deserves a good binding, a proud place on everyone’s shelf and to be read again and again and again - but the edition is not up to scratch. Get a hardback edition, if possible.
[Original review ends]
EDIT 08/10/20: Since I wrote this review, there appears to have been a new paperback edition of all current volumes of Caro’s LBJ, by Bodley Head. I’ve since read book two in the Bodley Head paperback and it is much better and have had no trouble, and so would recommend the Bodley Head versions if you wish to get them in paperback. I have amended my review accordingly but my thoughts on the Pimlico version remain the same, ie Avoid like the plague. Pimlico: Bad - Bodley Head: Good.
[What follows is my original review from July 2019, since amended below]
However, I am annoyed. The edition on sale here is the Pimlico edition, the paperback. Barely 37 pages in a whole section of book just fell apart and came away from the binding. Now pages jut out, get bent, torn when you put it down, slip out and fall away etc etc. I value my books, take care of them and often re-read them or refer to them for reference again and again. A pressing that disintegrates within the first chapter is not going to stand up to repeat readings. A book (indeed series) this masterful deserves a good binding, a proud place on everyone’s shelf and to be read again and again and again - but the edition is not up to scratch. Get a hardback edition, if possible.
[Original review ends]
EDIT 08/10/20: Since I wrote this review, there appears to have been a new paperback edition of all current volumes of Caro’s LBJ, by Bodley Head. I’ve since read book two in the Bodley Head paperback and it is much better and have had no trouble, and so would recommend the Bodley Head versions if you wish to get them in paperback. I have amended my review accordingly but my thoughts on the Pimlico version remain the same, ie Avoid like the plague. Pimlico: Bad - Bodley Head: Good.
7 people found this helpful
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The Furrowed Brow
4.0 out of 5 stars
As good as everyone says but ......
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2019Verified Purchase
... .buy it in hardback if at all possible . At over 900 pages the spine was unable to keep the book intact and so many pages came loose that I had to bind it with rubber bands when not reading. Hardback copes can be picked up second hand and will make for a less troublesome reading experience. It should go without saying by now that the book is quite astoundingly well researched and grippingly written. I would not have thought a political biography would be such a page turner but this one is . Having just finished volume 1 i've now ordered the remaining volumes so that should cover my reading for the next year or so. Also there is an excellent PSB documentary on YouTube with film footage of the young LBJ.
So the book itself is a well-deserved 5 star read but loses 1 star for the paperback format.
So the book itself is a well-deserved 5 star read but loses 1 star for the paperback format.
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William Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars
a great biography of Lyndon Johnson's first 31 years
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2013Verified Purchase
This book starts with some of Lyndon Johnson's ancestors (Johnsons - impractical dreamers; Buntons - tempered dreams with doing what's necessary to succeed in life); moves into a discussion of the Hill Country (fascinating vignette of depleting natural resources); then onto Johnson's family and his early life (always needed to be the centre of attention; if he couldn't lead, he wouldn't play); his relationship with his parents (especially his father whom he idolised when his father was doing very well in life and with whom he fought tooth and nail when he failed in business); his leaving home a couple of times; life at college (he was unpopular but found a way to power for the first time); in politics (on the staff of a local Congressman; and his political campaigns).
The picture that emerges is rich, complex and detailed. Johnson got things done - he brought electricity to the Texas Hill Country (against the odds - people named their children after him - he had transformed their lives); and he seems through a later invention to have pretty much turned the 1940 Congressional elections in favour of the Democrats. But there's always a dark side - he has no clearly discernible principles (he seems like a model liberal to FDR but to hate the New Deal to his Texas big business backers - for whom he wins government contracts, and from whom he funds his campaigns). He will do whatever it takes to win power.
The years of research that inform this first volume of the biography are clear on every page. It's impossible really to question Caro's narrative or most of his judgements (he seems harsher on Johnson here than in Volume 4 - by which time he seems to have decided that Johnson did have some political beliefs - they were just extremely well hidden until he became President, for the most part). Only one aspect of Johnson's life I'd have liked to know more about - his increasingly frequent hospitalisations seem to be linked to brief depressive episodes. They aren't, however, quite treated as that - Caro makes clear that they are partly psychological - but doesn't delve into just what's going on at these times in Johnson's internal world.
It's a great read, though, and I'd very strongly recommend it to others.
The picture that emerges is rich, complex and detailed. Johnson got things done - he brought electricity to the Texas Hill Country (against the odds - people named their children after him - he had transformed their lives); and he seems through a later invention to have pretty much turned the 1940 Congressional elections in favour of the Democrats. But there's always a dark side - he has no clearly discernible principles (he seems like a model liberal to FDR but to hate the New Deal to his Texas big business backers - for whom he wins government contracts, and from whom he funds his campaigns). He will do whatever it takes to win power.
The years of research that inform this first volume of the biography are clear on every page. It's impossible really to question Caro's narrative or most of his judgements (he seems harsher on Johnson here than in Volume 4 - by which time he seems to have decided that Johnson did have some political beliefs - they were just extremely well hidden until he became President, for the most part). Only one aspect of Johnson's life I'd have liked to know more about - his increasingly frequent hospitalisations seem to be linked to brief depressive episodes. They aren't, however, quite treated as that - Caro makes clear that they are partly psychological - but doesn't delve into just what's going on at these times in Johnson's internal world.
It's a great read, though, and I'd very strongly recommend it to others.
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M. T. MCGHEE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely compelling!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2013Verified Purchase
This book is one that I have been going to read for many years and I finally bought it, and I'm so glad that I did. It is one of the finest biographies that I have ever read and a revealing insight into the early years of LBJ. Caro is concerned for his readers to understand where LBJ comes from and the formative issues that made such a complex character. As a British reader too, it's good to have such a clear description of the hill country, Texan and Washington politics, which all puts the LBJ into sharper focus. I found this book so gripping I was almost reading it as a novel as characters were developed and the plot unravelled. And all this against the background of detailed and thorough research.
I can't recommend this book enough, buy it and read it!
I can't recommend this book enough, buy it and read it!
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Javier O'Neill
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insight into President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2015Verified Purchase
Lyndon B Johnson's Presidency is often overlooked,since he has the distinction of being the President that followed Kennedy's Camelot and preceded Nixon's Watergate. But none the less,his rise to power is no less fascinating the two Presidents who came before and after LBJ.
Robert Caro sets the stage,to tell the story of a politician whose ruthlessly brutal and pragmatic ambition,took him to great heights at early age,but earned him the scorn,hatred and distrust from his peers. The first part of this epic biography starts out in the barren,poverty stricken Hill Country,in Texas. The author paints a vivid picture of the hard life the Johnson family had,living in a part of the United States which was 20 years behind the rest of the country. Raised on a bleak,isolated Texas Farm, Lyndon B John,wanted nothing more then to break of this poverty and make something of himself. His father's former position as a Texas State Legislator,inspired his entrance into politics, but ultimately his father's failures drove him relentlessly,towards success,to avoid the poor,back breaking life,he experienced at an early age.
To reach the great heights he desired to reach,LBJ lied,cheated and back-stabbed anyone who was in his way achieving his goals.Which is a tactic that is effective,it earns you little friends in the process. In college he was a hated and unpopular student. But through the use and misuse of the colleges political system,LBJ was able to gain great power within the
college,the respect of his peers and the affection of the faculty.
After University,LBJ talents were no overlooked and his first experiences in politics, was as a secretary of a Texas congressman who had no interest,what so ever in politics. LBJ took advantage of his position and his bosses absence and became de facto congressman,using his position to learn how to play politics within Washington DC. By the time he was finished,the amount of influence and connections he made,laid the groundwork for a political network,that would prepare him for his first run for public office.
The latter half of the books goes into detail, about Lyndon B Johnson's tireless campaign for Congress,which earned him an unlikely victory as well as the start of a friendship with President Roosevelt and concludes with his first taste of political defeat.
Robert Caro's first volume on the life of rise of LBJ, is told with rich detail and intimate detail. Just like his contemporaries, I find myself hating Lyndon B Johnson for the tactics he uses to acquire influence and power, but there are moments I cant help respect the tenacity and endless energy he possessed,which pulled him out of a hard,back breaking life,like his father before him. By far one of the best political biographies I have ever read and could not recommend it more.
Robert Caro sets the stage,to tell the story of a politician whose ruthlessly brutal and pragmatic ambition,took him to great heights at early age,but earned him the scorn,hatred and distrust from his peers. The first part of this epic biography starts out in the barren,poverty stricken Hill Country,in Texas. The author paints a vivid picture of the hard life the Johnson family had,living in a part of the United States which was 20 years behind the rest of the country. Raised on a bleak,isolated Texas Farm, Lyndon B John,wanted nothing more then to break of this poverty and make something of himself. His father's former position as a Texas State Legislator,inspired his entrance into politics, but ultimately his father's failures drove him relentlessly,towards success,to avoid the poor,back breaking life,he experienced at an early age.
To reach the great heights he desired to reach,LBJ lied,cheated and back-stabbed anyone who was in his way achieving his goals.Which is a tactic that is effective,it earns you little friends in the process. In college he was a hated and unpopular student. But through the use and misuse of the colleges political system,LBJ was able to gain great power within the
college,the respect of his peers and the affection of the faculty.
After University,LBJ talents were no overlooked and his first experiences in politics, was as a secretary of a Texas congressman who had no interest,what so ever in politics. LBJ took advantage of his position and his bosses absence and became de facto congressman,using his position to learn how to play politics within Washington DC. By the time he was finished,the amount of influence and connections he made,laid the groundwork for a political network,that would prepare him for his first run for public office.
The latter half of the books goes into detail, about Lyndon B Johnson's tireless campaign for Congress,which earned him an unlikely victory as well as the start of a friendship with President Roosevelt and concludes with his first taste of political defeat.
Robert Caro's first volume on the life of rise of LBJ, is told with rich detail and intimate detail. Just like his contemporaries, I find myself hating Lyndon B Johnson for the tactics he uses to acquire influence and power, but there are moments I cant help respect the tenacity and endless energy he possessed,which pulled him out of a hard,back breaking life,like his father before him. By far one of the best political biographies I have ever read and could not recommend it more.
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