Book Review - The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson I by Robert A Caro
Periodically I require myself to read something out of my genre and at least somewhat educational. To meet my obligation, I read this book - all 960 pages of it. According to the description it takes the average person 28 hours and 26 minutes to read it. Since I usually only read in the evening for an hour or two, it took me months to get through this book.
Oddly enough, although the reading was sometimes dry and very often repetitious, I was fascinated by Lyndon Johnson's early years. This book starts with his childhood and moves through his early political career.
The author portrays our former President as highly secretive throughout his life and someone who created his own version of his history. "And college is merely one example. In a sense, Lyndon Johnson not only attempted to create, and leave for history, his own legend but to ensure that it could never be disproven." Astonishing.
He was a brilliant political strategist, who pioneered the exorbitant spending on campaigns we've come to take for granted in today's political arena. He possessed an uncanny ability to read men and to manipulate them to his will. A verbally abusive leader, he ran his staff to the ground but they remained devoted. He was obsessive about follow up and worked his way up from nothing to the Presidency.
My only complaint about this book was that it could have been significantly shorter had the author focused only on Johnson. There were entire chapters which gave wonderful background into the time and into other characters who played a roll in his life.
I would recommend this book and will - at some future point - read the remaining three volumes. It was truly a fascinating look into the man and the power that he wielded.
Happy Trails,
Leslie
Visit my website
Twitter Instagram Facebook Menu for Murder Cocktails at Sunset
Oddly enough, although the reading was sometimes dry and very often repetitious, I was fascinated by Lyndon Johnson's early years. This book starts with his childhood and moves through his early political career.
The author portrays our former President as highly secretive throughout his life and someone who created his own version of his history. "And college is merely one example. In a sense, Lyndon Johnson not only attempted to create, and leave for history, his own legend but to ensure that it could never be disproven." Astonishing.
He was a brilliant political strategist, who pioneered the exorbitant spending on campaigns we've come to take for granted in today's political arena. He possessed an uncanny ability to read men and to manipulate them to his will. A verbally abusive leader, he ran his staff to the ground but they remained devoted. He was obsessive about follow up and worked his way up from nothing to the Presidency.
My only complaint about this book was that it could have been significantly shorter had the author focused only on Johnson. There were entire chapters which gave wonderful background into the time and into other characters who played a roll in his life.
I would recommend this book and will - at some future point - read the remaining three volumes. It was truly a fascinating look into the man and the power that he wielded.
Happy Trails,
Leslie
Visit my website
Twitter Instagram Facebook Menu for Murder Cocktails at Sunset
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