false <![CDATA[The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171068822m/86524.jpg 86524 16 The profound understanding of the uses and abuses of power Robert Caro displayed in his 1974 biography of Robert Moses, <I>The Power Broker</I>, 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. <I>--Wendy Smith</I> 201695 17 2 1982 The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1) total:423|5:259|4:134|3:26|2:4|1:0| 423 1917 636 56 5 3 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jun 11 14:25:02 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 11 14:25:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jan 08 14:36:52 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 14:43:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 07:54:27 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 08:33:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Apr 13 04:06:28 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 04:12:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Oct 29 14:20:20 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 12 18:48:58 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jun 06 20:02:36 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 20:02:43 -0700 2009
Caro is an excellent biographer. The portrait he paints of LBJ feels very truthful and clear. He appro...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 18:25:23 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 01 12:35:17 -0800 2008 First, everyone was right. It is well worth reading, even though reading it is a bit of a ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 21:34:43 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 21:34:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Mon May 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 03 02:54:22 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 22 21:09:15 -0700 2009
Amazing biography. Not as fun as the Power Broker. Not as much war theory. Master of the Senate should be better. One thing I don't like about Caro or just biographies in general is their desire to tell stories.

Lyndon managed to m...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 25 08:14:13 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 25 08:40:26 -0700 2008
Lyndon Johnson is one of the more-complex statesmen of our nation's history. Caro's biography (this is the firs...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 11 17:07:27 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 11 17:07:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun May 25 06:15:37 -0700 2008 Sun May 25 06:19:43 -0700 2008
I remember finding it fascinating and I'd actually like to read it again, if I ever get the time.
...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 04:34:36 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 21 11:29:49 -0700 2007 On the Road: their main use isn't drama, or story, or style (no one can fit two semicolons, three commas, two hyphens and a set of parentheses into a sente...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1983 Mon Oct 05 18:10:49 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 18:15:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Fri May 08 18:22:42 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 00:48:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 06 13:12:55 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 21 21:18:28 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 true false Mon Dec 29 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 11:55:13 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 21:50:50 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Jan 08 14:52:17 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 14:55:22 -0800 2009
You don't have to care about LBJ to read and gain from this analysis of Johnson's boyhood influences. Regardless of your view of LBJ, you'll find this book and its serier invaluable and fascinating.]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 00:29:02 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 00:33:18 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 05 06:50:34 -0800 2009 Sat Apr 04 09:07:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=86524