From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin’s bullet cut him down in 1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatoria...
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May 19, 2008
Seth
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A good short biography of the sui generis Louisiana pol Huey Long. He made himself dictator of Louisiana and was killed as a result, quite possibly as part of a plot by his political enemies. This book touches the high, or low, points of his outrageous career, but it does little to convey an understanding of the milieu that produced Long. To understand this guy, we need to know why corruption has been tolerated more in Louisiana than anywhere else. White has little to say on the matter. Wha
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Aug 28, 2009
Troy
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Well written and concise, which serves to underscore just how setting up an absolute dictatorship democratically can happen, even in this country. Sometimes loses the impartiality one finds in books like these, but the facts simply cannot be explained away and the results can only be spoken of in the most stark terms.
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Aug 06, 2009
Brad
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White tells a great story of Huey's rise to power and his ultimate fall. He explores how it was possible for someone like Huey to gain so much power in so little time. And how just about everyone, including FDR, worried about how much power he would actually obtain.
Mar 17, 2009
Elizabeth
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Excellent and highly readable book about the disturbingly conflicted (and short) life of Huey Long. Fast-paced and engaging. Very well researched. Really draws readers in to feel as though they've come to know Huey (warts and all).
Feb 10, 2009
Sam
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An amazingly complex individual and a morality tale for our times. Given the economic climate of today, the ground is fertile for the return of a demagogue like Huey Long. Well written with just enough detail to make it interesting. I would have liked him to go into the conspirasy theories circulating when he was assasinated. Oh yeah. Spoiler alert- he was assasinated. Seems like the main charector always dies in these biographies....*grin*
Dec 17, 2009
Wayne
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Karl Rove wa a piker compared to Huey Long. The Kingfish's ability to manipulate and dominate Louisiana for years remains one of the most entertaining and horrifying stories of American history.
Lots of echoes of the strong arm, loyalty-first political tactics we hear about in the news today, although Long had a tongue and wit that could shred his victims before they knew they were bleeding -- a far cry from the dull cudgel that our current president deploys when he opens his mouth. More...
Lots of echoes of the strong arm, loyalty-first political tactics we hear about in the news today, although Long had a tongue and wit that could shred his victims before they knew they were bleeding -- a far cry from the dull cudgel that our current president deploys when he opens his mouth. More...
Aug 11, 2009
Will
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Very interesting, amazing history. My only quibble is that it does not explain which of Long's corrupt practices had long been common in Louisiana, and which were bold innovations.
Mar 03, 2009
Susan
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This book explains a lot about LA. The man got away with the unbelievable. Glad I read it.
Dec 22, 2008
Justinhensley023
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Good bio on a polemic character. Gets bogged down in it's own research towards the end.
Jul 22, 2011
Laura
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Wow. I had heard of Huey P. Long, of course, but I had no idea how corrupt he was and how much that impacted Louisiana politics.
Dec 20, 2010
Lynn
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Excellent history of Huey P. Long. Very well written with a good feel for the times.
Mar 03, 2010
Misty
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A good primer on Huey Long, who fascinated me initially because of his liberal populist message and his status as, in the words of one commentator quoted in the book, the only political dictator America has known. At under 300 pages, I never got a solid sense of who Huey was outside his public persona and how he was able to get away with so much. But that's okay since I just wanted to get a feeling for what he had done. I'll have to read another bio like the T Harry Williams opus to get a fuller
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Feb 12, 2012
Jessica
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What a frightening character...his total disregard for the US Constitution is amazing to me as is his followers blind loyalty.
Nov 06, 2008
Diane
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I learned why New Orleans and Louisiana have so many infrastructure problems - they seem to go back to Huey P Long. By the end of this book I dismissed any "good" that Long had been given credit for - even the good was corrupt. I honestly was relieved when he died - the constant, repetitious graft, corruption, and need for total power was getting intolerable.
Jan 04, 2009
Diane
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Life of governor and U.S. Senator from Louisiana. Shows corruption and greed in politics.
Aug 26, 2008
Jonathan
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Nice little bio of Huey Long, touching on the better part of his life. It manages to explain a lot about politics of the time, while leaving you scratching your head. When ever you try and wrap modern morals around stuff like that you always end up puzzled. Just read it and nod your head.
Feb 01, 2008
Desiree
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Not very enthralling, in my opinion. As a Louisiana native, I was curious to read about Huey P. Long, especially since he was instrumental in getting LSU's Tiger Stadium built :)
The author didn't really keep me interested, so it was a bit of a chore to finish the book.
The author didn't really keep me interested, so it was a bit of a chore to finish the book.
Oct 03, 2011
Wlwarner
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I enjoyed every page of this one. In Louisiana, where I lived for most of my life, everyone's got a Huey Long story to recount. Richard White has a book full of them, a well-written, largely anecdotal account of a man for whom the anecdotes are many.
Jul 16, 2008
Bruce
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Not only was his political career cut short by the assassin's bullet, but so was his likely jail term for tax evasion. Perhaps the most unique character in the history of American politics. I think I would have liked the guy.
Sep 25, 2007
Kim
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If you don't believe something like Hitler can ever happen in America, read this book about this absolute corruption of power in Louisiana.
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Oct 02, 2007
Dan
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The writer paid slightly too much attention to Long's corruption and not enough on his contributions and legacy.
Feb 04, 2012
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