Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2)
View this item’s Amazon detail page.
Medium: book, presidents
Review date: 2002 July
Ken Zirkel’s Reviewtest
I was a little disappointed when I discovered that this book covers only 7 years of Johnson’s life. However, as it turns out, the central episode of this book (LBJ’s 1948 Senate race against Coke Stevenson) is well deserving of a full-length treatment. The book stands on its own as a story of a remarkable election — and the pivotal election in LBJ’s career. And, like Caro’s other books, it’s researched to the point of obsessiveness and written in a compelling, brilliant style. In particular, the introduction is a masterful summary of the is a masterful summary of the hopes, fears, and expectations of the country as it looked toward its president during the civil rights era. I can’t wait to read volume 3!
