Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Vintage (2013), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 768 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML: WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE, THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE, THE AMERICAN HISTORY BOOK PRIZEBook Four of Robert A. Caro�s monumental The Years of Lyndon Johnson displays all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim it as �one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age. A masterpiece.� The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career�1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin�s bullet to reach its mark. By 1958, as Johnson began to maneuver for the presidency, he was known as one of the most brilliant politicians of his time, the greatest Senate Leader in our history. But the 1960 nomination would go to the young senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Caro gives us an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both the nomination and Kennedy�s decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, revealing the extent of Robert Kennedy�s efforts to force Johnson off the ticket. With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, he exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Kennedy�s younger brother, portraying one of America�s great political feuds. Yet Robert Kennedy�s overt contempt for Johnson was only part of the burden of humiliation and isolation he bore as Vice President. With a singular understanding of Johnson�s heart and mind, Caro describes what it was like for this mighty politician to find himself altogether powerless in a world in which power is the crucial commodity. For the first time, in Caro�s breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson�s eyes. We watch Johnson step into the presidency, inheriting a staff fiercely loyal to his slain predecessor; a Congress determined to retain its power over the executive branch; and a nation in shock and mourning. We see how within weeks�grasping the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery�he propels through Congress essential legislation that at the time of Kennedy�s death seemed hopelessly logjammed and seizes on a dormant Kennedy program to create the revolutionary War on Poverty. Caro makes clear how the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate now enabled him to make the presidency wholly his own. This was without doubt Johnson�s finest hour, before his aspirations and accomplishments were overshadowed and eroded by the trap of Vietnam. In its exploration of this pivotal period in Johnson�s life�and in the life of the nation�The Passage of Power is not only the story of how he surmounted unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the presidency but is, as well, a revelation of both the pragmatic potential in the presidency and what can be accomplished when the chief executive has the vision and determination to move beyond the pragmatic and initiate programs designed to transform a nation. It is an epic story told with a depth of detail possible only through the peerless research that forms the foundation of Robert Caro�s work, confirming Nicholas von....… (more)
Media reviews
Robert Caro’s epic biography of Lyndon Johnson—this is the fourth volume of a planned five—was originally conceived and has been largely executed as a study of power. But this volume has been overtaken by a more pressing theme. It is a study in hate. The book’s impressive architectonics
Show More
come from the way everything is structured around two poles or pillars—Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy, radiating reciprocal hostilities at every step of the story. Caro calls it “perhaps the greatest blood feud of American politics in the twentieth century.” With some reservations about the word “blood,” one has to concede that Caro makes good his claim for this dynamic in the tale he has to tell. Show Less
What he did to advance civil rights and equal opportunity was too important. I remain grateful to him. L.B.J. got to me, and after all these years, he still does. With this fascinating and meticulous account of how and why he did it, Robert Caro has once again done America a great service.
At the heart of “The Passage of Power,” the latest installment of Robert A. Caro’s magisterial biography of Johnson, is the story of how he was catapulted to the White House in the wake of Kennedy’s assassination, how he steadied and reassured a shell-shocked nation, and how he used his
Show More
potent political skills and the momentum generated by Kennedy’s death to push through Congress his predecessor’s stalled tax-cut bill and civil rights legislation and to lay the groundwork for his own revolutionary “war on poverty.”
It’s a breathtakingly dramatic story about a pivotal moment in United States history, and just as Johnson used his accumulated knowledge of the art of power to push the nation along the path he’d envisioned, so in these pages does Mr. Caro use the intimate knowledge of Johnson he’s acquired over 36 years to tell that story with consummate artistry and ardor, demonstrating a tirelessness — in his interviewing and dissection of voluminous archives — that rivals his subject’s. Show Less
Caro’s treatment of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis—and of the roles that Johnson and the Kennedy brothers (especially Robert Kennedy) played in the crisis—is, on several levels, simply wrong.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Oregonreader
This was the volume I had been most anticipating, covering the Kennedy assassination and the beginning of LBJ's presidency. Caro has not disappointed. It is ironic that Johnson, vicious, cruel, and interested only in furthering himself, should be the man the country needed to pull it together in
Caro details LBJ's vice presidency and his relations with the Kennedys, especially with Robert, with whom he shared an intense hatred. It is interesting for me to read an acount of the Kennedys during this time that was not written by one of their circle. He mentions that O'Donnell and others he consulted would not agree with everything he had written but his account is very credible.
My biggest criticism of [Master of the Senate] was his inclusion of material from previous volumes. He has done this much less in this volume, using footnotes to reference previous material. Caro has again accomplished both impressive scholarship and wonderful writing.
Show More
the weeks following the assassination. His political genius enabled him to see what needed to be done and do it, calming fears of an international conspiracy and reassuring the country that Washington was in control. It is also ironic that after leading the Southern fight against civil rights legislation for decades, LBJ became the president who was able to pass the most sweeping rights bills since Reconstruction. Caro details LBJ's vice presidency and his relations with the Kennedys, especially with Robert, with whom he shared an intense hatred. It is interesting for me to read an acount of the Kennedys during this time that was not written by one of their circle. He mentions that O'Donnell and others he consulted would not agree with everything he had written but his account is very credible.
My biggest criticism of [Master of the Senate] was his inclusion of material from previous volumes. He has done this much less in this volume, using footnotes to reference previous material. Caro has again accomplished both impressive scholarship and wonderful writing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member YogiABB
"The Passage of Power" is Robert Caro's fourth of five planned volumes on the life and time of Lyndon Johnson. This one is like the others in that it is meticulously researched and well written. "Passage" covers the end times of Johnson's time as Majority Leader in the Senate to his time as Vice
There is to be sure a lot of history in the book but what really fascinated me was Johnson's personality. Caro's first three books detail Johnson's rise from a hard childhood in rural Texas to college and then on to his first elections and on to the Senate. Johnson had a talent for acquiring power and for a determining a person's weakest point. He was ruthless in using both things to get what he wanted. Upon his elevation to Majority Leader in the Senate he ran the place and didn't put up with nonsense from anybody.
This book describes how Johnson wanted the Presidency more than anything but had a huge fear of failure that kept him from pursuing the 1960 elections. He ended up accepting the VP candidacy despite the fierce opposition of John Kennedy's brother Robert. I had never paid Robert Kennedy much attention. He seemed to me to be another passionately liberal Kennedy who liked to play touch football but as Caro describes him Robert Kennedy was ruthless in his own way. He was very aggressive and was kind of his brother's attack dog for many things. It turns out that Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson hated each other.
The book goes on to describe how Johnson was dismayed to find out that the Vice President didn't have much of job and that JFK kept him on a short leash and did not include him on discussions of many issues of the day. As Caro describes it, deprived of his power Johnson became whiny and miserable.
Upon John Kennedy's death however Johnson immediately took over the reins of the government and moved quickly to try and keep as many of "Kennedy's men" to stay and put his own stamp on the administration. John Kennedy had been trying to push some major civil rights legislation but had been getting nowhere with it despite Johnson trying to offer advice. The basic problem was that the "Solid South" had been blocking Civil Rights legislation for decades and the way they did was by holding other important bills hostage. Johnson knew the game because he had been one of those actively blocking civil rights legislation for years. Johnson knew that although the northern Liberals such as Hubert Humphrey had the passion on their side, the Solid South knew the Senates rules and parliamentary procedure by heart. So legislation died a thousand deaths of delaying tactics and gutting amendments.
A fascinating part of the book is the description of Johnson's intricate knowledge of the Senate's rules and his relationships with the players in order to get bill after bill passed. I've read elsewhere speculation that if Kennedy had lived his legislation may not have passed.
Another fascinating side of Johnson was his complete corruption. This book and Caro's previous books detail Johnson's greed in acquiring wealth and the payoff's he took and lots and lots of shady dealings. For example upon becoming President he needed to have certain pesky reporters who were investigating his various shady dealings stopped. Newspaper companies are vulnerable because of their associated radio and television stations. Johnson called up the owners and threatened them with audits and other harassment if the reporters didn't quit. They quit.
So Johnson was a complex character. A man who stood with the "solid south" for years to deny civil rights to minorities and also the man who got them the right to vote and ended official segregation. A great leader but also a craven crook.
In 1964 he had negative ratings in the single digits. I was in grade school in Price, Utah when he ran against Barry Goldwater. We would link arms and march around the school yelling "LBJ for the USA" over and over during recess. Several years later we would see protesters on television linking arms and yelling "Hey, Hey, LBJ how many kids did you kill today." By the time I got to eighth grade, by then in the little burgh of Eagar, Arizona it was hard for me to imagine how the country could last five more years.
I can't wait for Caro's next book. I hope that he hurries because he is 77 years old and I don't need him running out of gas before he finishes.. The next book covers Johnson's downfall and the Vietnam War.
Anyway, for those that stuck with me, this is a great book. Five stars out of five.
Show More
President under John Kennedy through his inheriting the Presidency upon the murder of Kennedy and then the transition the next few months after that.There is to be sure a lot of history in the book but what really fascinated me was Johnson's personality. Caro's first three books detail Johnson's rise from a hard childhood in rural Texas to college and then on to his first elections and on to the Senate. Johnson had a talent for acquiring power and for a determining a person's weakest point. He was ruthless in using both things to get what he wanted. Upon his elevation to Majority Leader in the Senate he ran the place and didn't put up with nonsense from anybody.
This book describes how Johnson wanted the Presidency more than anything but had a huge fear of failure that kept him from pursuing the 1960 elections. He ended up accepting the VP candidacy despite the fierce opposition of John Kennedy's brother Robert. I had never paid Robert Kennedy much attention. He seemed to me to be another passionately liberal Kennedy who liked to play touch football but as Caro describes him Robert Kennedy was ruthless in his own way. He was very aggressive and was kind of his brother's attack dog for many things. It turns out that Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson hated each other.
The book goes on to describe how Johnson was dismayed to find out that the Vice President didn't have much of job and that JFK kept him on a short leash and did not include him on discussions of many issues of the day. As Caro describes it, deprived of his power Johnson became whiny and miserable.
Upon John Kennedy's death however Johnson immediately took over the reins of the government and moved quickly to try and keep as many of "Kennedy's men" to stay and put his own stamp on the administration. John Kennedy had been trying to push some major civil rights legislation but had been getting nowhere with it despite Johnson trying to offer advice. The basic problem was that the "Solid South" had been blocking Civil Rights legislation for decades and the way they did was by holding other important bills hostage. Johnson knew the game because he had been one of those actively blocking civil rights legislation for years. Johnson knew that although the northern Liberals such as Hubert Humphrey had the passion on their side, the Solid South knew the Senates rules and parliamentary procedure by heart. So legislation died a thousand deaths of delaying tactics and gutting amendments.
A fascinating part of the book is the description of Johnson's intricate knowledge of the Senate's rules and his relationships with the players in order to get bill after bill passed. I've read elsewhere speculation that if Kennedy had lived his legislation may not have passed.
Another fascinating side of Johnson was his complete corruption. This book and Caro's previous books detail Johnson's greed in acquiring wealth and the payoff's he took and lots and lots of shady dealings. For example upon becoming President he needed to have certain pesky reporters who were investigating his various shady dealings stopped. Newspaper companies are vulnerable because of their associated radio and television stations. Johnson called up the owners and threatened them with audits and other harassment if the reporters didn't quit. They quit.
So Johnson was a complex character. A man who stood with the "solid south" for years to deny civil rights to minorities and also the man who got them the right to vote and ended official segregation. A great leader but also a craven crook.
In 1964 he had negative ratings in the single digits. I was in grade school in Price, Utah when he ran against Barry Goldwater. We would link arms and march around the school yelling "LBJ for the USA" over and over during recess. Several years later we would see protesters on television linking arms and yelling "Hey, Hey, LBJ how many kids did you kill today." By the time I got to eighth grade, by then in the little burgh of Eagar, Arizona it was hard for me to imagine how the country could last five more years.
I can't wait for Caro's next book. I hope that he hurries because he is 77 years old and I don't need him running out of gas before he finishes.. The next book covers Johnson's downfall and the Vietnam War.
Anyway, for those that stuck with me, this is a great book. Five stars out of five.
Show Less
LibraryThing member evergene
Having read only about one fourth of this book, I probably shouldn't yet rate it, but I will: I'm giving it five stars. I wish all biographies and histories were written as well as this. While the level of detail might put some readers off, the net effect is to develop a brilliantly clear picture
Show More
of both the character and the context. The alliances and feuds in the Kennedy administration are as dramatic, if not as deadly, as the court of Henry VIII. Show Less
LibraryThing member muddyboy
This is one of the great series of books the Robert Caro has written on the life, career and accomplishments of Lyndon Johnson. The book focuses on the frustrating period of his Vice Presidency to his ascendency to power after the death of John Kennedy. Johnson was the two term leader of the Senate
Show More
and has trouble dealing with the Kennedy's stripping him of any modicum of power from a job that (VP) has virtually none already. There is also the blood feud between Johnson and Bobby Kennedy that starts from their first meeting and lasts till the end of their days. The most important part of the book deals with the months after Johnson becomes President in which he accomplished more in ten months than Kennedy did in three years and most presidents do in two terms. John is a very underrated president. Great research, wonderfully written Pulitzer Prize winner. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This si the fourth volume of Caro's monumentlly thorough bioraphy of LBJ. I read The Path to Power on April 8, 1983, Means of Ascent on 14 Oct 1990, and Master of the Senate on 27 May 2002. This volume covers the years 1959 to 1964, detailing with tremendous power the the effort of LBJ to win the
Show More
nomination in 1960, the tense events leading to his being named as JFK's running mate, the campaign in 1960, the frustrating years as Vice President, and the tremendously poignant events in Texas and Washington in November 1963. It further relates the masterful way LBJ handled himself in the time after he became President. The book does not fail to show the flaws of th man but also shows how he conducted himself almost flawlessly in the transition from JFK to his own presidency. The book is an account of tremendous scope and very well done indeed. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
I’ve really enjoyed Caro’s epic biography of Lyndon Johnson, and this volume is no different. The first half was hard for me because I have a humiliation squick, and Johnson’s tenure as Kennedy’s Vice President was replete with exclusion and humiliation. But Caro makes the story of the
Show More
short period before and after the assassination vivid and compelling, and argues that despite Johnson’s extreme flaws, he handled the transition to power with a heretofore unseen grace and an extension of his acknowledged mastery of the levers of power, enabling him to start putting together the Great Society for which he had a true passion. Show Less
LibraryThing member mnicol
"Master of the Senate" remains the pinnacle of achievement in this superb biography. But this fourth volume is still excelllent. "Almost a century after Abraham Lincoln had freed black men and women from slavery, black men and women - and Mexican-American men and women, and indeed most Americans of
Too bad that there are more black men in jail in the US today than were enslaved at the time of the Civil War (Michelle Aledander). But that is not Johnson's fault.
Show More
color - still did not enjoy many of the rights supposedly guaranteed its citizens. It was Lyndon Johnson who gave them those rights"..."'Kennedy's eloquence was designed to make men think; President Johnson's hammer blows are designed to make men act'".Too bad that there are more black men in jail in the US today than were enslaved at the time of the Civil War (Michelle Aledander). But that is not Johnson's fault.
Show Less
LibraryThing member asdeska
Book Four of Robert A. Caro’s monumental The Years of Lyndon Johnson displays all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim it as “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age. A masterpiece.”
The Passage of Power follows Lyndon
The Passage of Power follows Lyndon
Show More
Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin’s bullet to reach its mark. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
Terrific book, only mildly repetitive. Concentrates on LBJ's genius at molding Congress to his will. Pretty good on the Bobby Kennedy feud, which seems to have been mostly pique on the part of Bobby.
LibraryThing member bontley
Magnificent. Equals Master of the Senate in quality and tops it with its narrative arc. Marvelous, lucid, probing, fair. The most upbeat of the volumes, but sets up the final book to be a supreme tragedy.
LibraryThing member cjneary
Not as organized as the earlier books, but full of interesting information on a fascinating figure. The legislative achievements of the first few months of the Johnson presidency is perhaps unrivaled. He spearheaded the Civil Rights Act through after it had been filibustered for a century. He
Show More
probably enjoyed the presidency as much as anyone, even with the weight of the Vietnam War. Caro hints that the last volume will not be as celebratory. I still think Master of the Senate is the best biography I have ever read. But this one still gets five stars. I was disappointed in the book's physical presentation. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
This is one book of a set of four that examine the life of LBJ. In this volume, LBJ is still a very power senator to his presidency after the assassination of JFK. The years covered are 1958 to 1964. This covered not only Lyndon Johnson but also John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and because I am a
I learned so much listening to this book. I learned about the magnitude of change that was occurring during this time period. The impact that media was playing in politics which I kind of knew but this really brought it home. I learned how the senate operates, the art of negotiation or twisting arms, the filibuster. Lyndon Johnson was a powerful senator but as a vice president he was without any power. Johnson returned to his former self after the assassination. There was no love lost between the Kennedys and Lyndon. Robert hated him with a passion. Lyndon was a good president; he brought more to civil rights than any other president and I don’t think Kennedy could have done what Lyndon was able to do because he knew how to make things happen in the senate, with the republicans, and he knew how to get the budget passed and the civil rights bill passed. The author does a very good job of covering both the good qualities and the bad qualities of these men. I think this was a fair and well written biography.
I was 5 years old in 1958 and in 1964, I was 11. This was a great book to start with because it actually covered two of the presidents that I have lived under. The quality of the narration was excellent and the writing made this book as easy to read as a good fiction.
Show More
Minnesotan there is also a nice coverage of Humphrey. I learned so much listening to this book. I learned about the magnitude of change that was occurring during this time period. The impact that media was playing in politics which I kind of knew but this really brought it home. I learned how the senate operates, the art of negotiation or twisting arms, the filibuster. Lyndon Johnson was a powerful senator but as a vice president he was without any power. Johnson returned to his former self after the assassination. There was no love lost between the Kennedys and Lyndon. Robert hated him with a passion. Lyndon was a good president; he brought more to civil rights than any other president and I don’t think Kennedy could have done what Lyndon was able to do because he knew how to make things happen in the senate, with the republicans, and he knew how to get the budget passed and the civil rights bill passed. The author does a very good job of covering both the good qualities and the bad qualities of these men. I think this was a fair and well written biography.
I was 5 years old in 1958 and in 1964, I was 11. This was a great book to start with because it actually covered two of the presidents that I have lived under. The quality of the narration was excellent and the writing made this book as easy to read as a good fiction.
Show Less
LibraryThing member michaelbartley
a great bio of lbj from the years 1958 to 1965. very detailed and insighful about johnson, politics and the culture of the times. LBJ was a very complex man, he had a true passion for the poor, black people. Yet he was a man with a great passion for power. When he became president, he was at his
Show More
lowest point in his political life. the bobby barker scandel was coming to light. it is very likely he would not been on the ticket for JFK re-election. he was very unhappy as vice president anyway. His greatest hours came when he became president. his leadership, his vision was remarkable LBJ did want no else could have done, get the voting rights bill and civil right bill through congress. I look forward to the next book covering LBJ from 64-68 Show Less
LibraryThing member timmydc
Covering the years 1958-1963, Caro's book gives a close up account of how Lyndon Johnson went from holding a significant seat of power as Senate Majority leader, to the lowly position of vice president, and ends by chronicling how he steps into the role of president upon the death of John F.
Show More
Kennedy. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
This very long book could have been written and understood in about half the time. The author's intent is to cover the period 1958-1963 and it did. It also gave background on Johnson's upbringing, which contributed to the book. Crystal clear, the conflict between the Kennedys and Johnson. It's also
Show More
apparent that Johnson's political acumen was critical to the transition after JFK's assassination to both continuity and making the presidency his own. Also notable, his successful passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after a history of reelection from a segregated South. Finally, he was a ruthless politician. I've had enough LBJ, don't intend to read the other three books on his life and political career. Show Less
LibraryThing member anitatally
Absolutely fascinating.....it's like a case-study in human nature. One human being can be capable of so much wrong and so much greatness. And reading it during this 2016 election season has been somehow comforting, being reminded that politics has always been brutal.
LibraryThing member gregdehler
Thought I would just dip and out of this weighty tome, picking and choosing certain topics, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wrong!! Caro’s lively storytelling, keen sense of detail, thoughtful reflections, and compelling portraits of key individuals completely drew me in. I found this to be
Show More
a quick read despite the size of the biography. The first third (roughly) of the book focuses on Johnson’s botched bid for the presidency in 1960, acceptance of the vice presidency, and years in that second office. Despite the fact that his bread and butter had always been his ability to read individuals quickly and accurately and determine their strengths and weaknesses , he failed to do so with John F. Kennedy. After failing to gain a real measure of the man during the 1960 campaign for presidential nomination, Johnson compounded this by thinking he could steamroll Kennedy into giving him more power and access than any previous vice president. Kennedy easily dismissed this. If he failed to include Johnson in important legislative strategy discussions – a place the Texan could have greatly benefitted the administration – it is due to in some measure to the vice president’s behavior when he was around the president. For example, Johnson rarely spoke out in meetings, even though he frequently shared his misgivings with others. Johnson’s constant and tactless pleading for appointments, photo-ops, and other considerations did not help either. Lastly, Johnson’s long running feud with Robert Kennedy further alienated him from the inner circle. Caro devotes considerable time discussing the relationship between these two men. Clearly, he will return to this theme in the next and final volume. Yet, President Kennedy intended to keep Johnson on the ticket because he needed Texas, or so it seemed until September 1963. A combination of the Bobby Baker (a very close Johnson associate and protégé ) scandal splashing across the headlines and Governor John Connally’s (another close Johnson associate and protégé) rapidly ascending influence in Texas hurt the vice president’s chances of remaining on the ticket in 1964. It was the nadir of Johnson’s long career in politics. Then everything changed at Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Johnson is at his best from the assassination through to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He consoles the nation, brilliantly steers major legislation through the Congress, establishes himself as president, and inspires bold new action, including the landmark Civil Rights Act. Caro is impressed by these achievements and Johnson’s personal restraint. Throughout this period Johnson contains himself, holding his unpleasant personality traits – his self-pity, need to dominate others, bullying, narcissism, etc. – in check. Unfortunately, that Lyndon Johnson will be back in the next volume when we will see him mix great achievements and terrible disasters. Show Less
LibraryThing member DanTarlin
This is the 4th book in Caro's monumental biography of Lyndon Johnson, covering the period from the runup to the 1960 presidential election to the assassination of JFK and then the first months of the LBJ presidency. The next book will presumably cover the remainder of his presidency. It seems an
Caro is deep in the weeds, and these books are frankly drowning in information, but the writing is great and the story is well told. Caro is himself an amazing story- he has literally dedicated his entire life to this series. Unlike other popular presidential biographies I've read recently, this one is of a man recently around enough that important players were and are still around to interview, and Caro has made good use of them.
The definitive LBJ biography for sure. I hope he makes it through the next one.
Show More
odd place to split the books, but Caro makes his case that the transition between administrations was crucially important, and in fact was Johnson's finest hour, and that the passage of the Civil Rights Act in early 1964 is a watershed moment (no argument there) worthy of ending the era.Caro is deep in the weeds, and these books are frankly drowning in information, but the writing is great and the story is well told. Caro is himself an amazing story- he has literally dedicated his entire life to this series. Unlike other popular presidential biographies I've read recently, this one is of a man recently around enough that important players were and are still around to interview, and Caro has made good use of them.
The definitive LBJ biography for sure. I hope he makes it through the next one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member etxgardener
This great doorstop of a biography (volume #4 in Caro’s magnum opus on Lyndon Johnson) for a long time. So when it showed up on a “buy one, get one free” sale on Audible, I decided to try the spoken product. And I am so glad I did.
We follow LBJ through the 1960 Presidential campaign where
And what a trial the Vice Presidency turns out to be. It really does seem like it’s “not worth a warm bucket of spit.” But then comes the fateful day in Dallas, and all that changes in the blink of an eye, and Johnson comes into his own.
Her is LBJ with all his flaws exposed, but still a towering political figure cajoling, twisting arms and even threatening as he strong arms the monumental Civil Rights Act of 1964. Where JFK was unable to deal effectively with Congress, Johnson knows exactly what to do, and proceeds with a vengeance.
This volume ends just before the 1964 Presidential campaign and left me hoping that Caro hurries up and finishes the last volume in this story.
We follow LBJ through the 1960 Presidential campaign where
Show More
Johnson dithered away his chances to mount a meaningful Presidential run and then, to everyone’s astonishment, gave up his powerful position as Majority Leader of the Senate to run for the Vice Presidency with JFK.And what a trial the Vice Presidency turns out to be. It really does seem like it’s “not worth a warm bucket of spit.” But then comes the fateful day in Dallas, and all that changes in the blink of an eye, and Johnson comes into his own.
Her is LBJ with all his flaws exposed, but still a towering political figure cajoling, twisting arms and even threatening as he strong arms the monumental Civil Rights Act of 1964. Where JFK was unable to deal effectively with Congress, Johnson knows exactly what to do, and proceeds with a vengeance.
This volume ends just before the 1964 Presidential campaign and left me hoping that Caro hurries up and finishes the last volume in this story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Doondeck
Spectacular. A much as Johnson was Master of the Senate, Caro is master of Johnson. I have loved every one of the volumes of this masterpiece.
LibraryThing member James_Knupp
It's so frustrating to end the series (so far) on such an interesting point in history. Caro once again does better than anyone in neither lionizing nor demonizing LBJ, but just giving you the reality of history and letting you judge for yourself. I appreciate how thoroughly Caro goes to make sure
Show More
he's gotten accounts from everyone he can so disputed stories have both sides told. We barely cover any of LBJ's presidency in this volume, merely the first 6 months or so after JFK is assassinated. But that alone is so insightful to LBJ's presidency to come. Show Less
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Nonfiction — 2012)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Biography — 2012)
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — Biography — 2012)
The Economist Best Books ([2012])
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Nonfiction — 2013)
Plutarch Award (Winner — 2013)
Mark Lynton History Prize (Winner — 2013)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Biography — 2012)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2012)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2012)
Booklist Top of the List: Best of Editors' Choice (Adult Nonfiction — 2012)
Language
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
768 p.; 5.98 x 1.57 inches
ISBN
0375713255 / 9780375713255