The Passage of Power

Name: The Passage of Power
Brand: Random House USA Inc
SKU: 9780375713255
Price: 70.0 NZD
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The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. IV

By Robert A. Caro

Series: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

4.38

( 18,531 ratings, 1,374 reviews)

Summary

In The Passage of Power, Robert A. Caro delves into the pivotal years of Lyndon B. Johnson's life, focusing on his time as Vice President under John F. Kennedy and his subsequent unexpected ascension to the presidency following Kennedy's assassination. Caro explores Johnson's complex political acumen, the struggle for control, and his eventual triumph in overcoming significant legislative challenges, especially in advancing civil rights. Through rich detail and thorough research, the book provides a vivid portrait of a transformative period in American history.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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The Passage of Power

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by political history and the intricacies of power dynamics. Delve into the dramatic transformation of a pivotal figure during a critical moment in American history. With detailed research and gripping narrative, it offers a compelling insight into leadership and ambition.

The Passage of Power

The fourth volume in Caro's monumental biography of Lyndon Johnson follows Johnson through his volatile relationship with John and Robert Kennedy in the fight for the 1960 Democratic nomination for president and through Johnson's unhappy vice presidency.

Description

The Passage of Power by Robert A. Caro masterfully chronicles a transformative era in American politics, capturing both the heights and depths of Lyndon B. Johnson's career from 1958 to 1964. This fourth instalment of Caro's monumental work, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, offers readers unparalleled insight into a pivotal period in history that encompasses Johnson's incomparable ascent from Senate Majority Leader to the unexpected presidency following the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy.

This riveting volume opens during a time when Johnson, revered as the greatest Senate Leader in US history, finds himself in an unexpected position of weakness. Navigating the cutthroat waters of the political arena, he maneuvers for the presidency but falls short, ceding the Democratic nomination to the charismatic John F. Kennedy in 1960. Caro delves deep into the intricate political machinations and the intense rivalry between Johnson and Kennedy’s younger brother, Robert. The narrative unfolds with a gripping account of how Johnson was reluctantly offered the vice presidency—a role that stripped him of the power he once wielded so deftly.

The author vividly portrays the complexities of Johnson's new reality as Vice President, laying bare the isolation and disdain he often faced within Kennedy's administration. Caro’s keen understanding of Johnson's inner psyche provides a compelling look at the internal struggles of this seasoned politician in a merciless world where power and influence are everything.

The momentum of the story escalates dramatically with the assassination of President Kennedy. Caro's narrative takes us through this seismic event through Johnson's eyes. In an era of national grief and uncertainty, Johnson assumed the presidency and faced a Congress determined to assert its authority over the executive branch. With his uncanny political shrewdness, he deftly turned the tide. Within weeks, he galvanised Congress into action, transforming stalled legislation into reality and revitalising Kennedy’s neglected War on Poverty initiative.

Caro illustrates how Johnson’s political ingenuity was instrumental in not only seizing control of the presidency but also achieving significant legislative success, marking his finest moment before his legacy became clouded by the quagmire of Vietnam. Through meticulous research and an engaging narrative style, Caro paints a vivid portrait of a leader capable of monumental accomplishments when driven by vision and determination.

In exploring this crucial period in Johnson’s life—and American history—The Passage of Power is more than a biography; it's a profound examination of the limitations and potential of the presidency. Caro astutely reveals how a chief executive, with the right vision, can transcend pragmatic constraints to instigate societal transformation. The depth and richness of detail in Caro’s narrative further solidify his status as a master biographer, as evidenced by the book’s sweeping acclaim and accolades. This volume is an indelible contribution to understanding the complexities of power and leadership, cementing the legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson's tumultuous journey.

Series: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

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The Passage of Power

By Robert A. Caro

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Passage of Power by Robert A. Caro is widely lauded for its in-depth examination of Lyndon B. Johnson's political prowess. Reviewers praise Caro for his meticulous research and masterful prose, comparing his work to great political dramas and literature. The biography is described as both an insightful historical analysis and a compelling narrative akin to a thriller, showcasing Johnson's complex personality and his extraordinary influence on American history.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780375713255

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 May 2013

Country: United States

Imprint: Vintage Books

Illustration: 32 PAGES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 40.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 233.0mm

Weight: 947g

Pages: 768

Collections

All Books Biography & Memoir Non-Fiction Political Biographies Robert A Caro Series: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

About the Author

For his biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, ROBERT A. CARO has twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, has three times won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the National Book Award, the Gold Medal in Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Francis Parkman Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that best “exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist.” In 2010 President Barack Obama awarded Caro the National Humanities Medal, stating at the time: “I think about Robert Caro and reading The Power Broker back when I was twenty-two years old and just being mesmerized, and I’m sure it helped to shape how I think about politics.” In 2016 he received the National Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. The London Sunday Times has said that Caro is “The greatest political biographer of our times.”

Caro’s first book, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, everywhere acclaimed as a modern classic, was chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of the twentieth century. It is, according to David Halberstam, “Surely the greatest book ever written about a city.” And The New York Times Book Review said: “In the future, the scholar who writes the history of American cities in the twentieth century will doubtless begin with this extraordinary effort.”

The first volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power, was cited by The Washington Post as “proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of radiant excellence . . . Caro’s evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his elaboration of Johnson’s unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics actually work, are—let it be said flat out—at the summit of American historical writing.” Professor Henry F. Graff of Columbia University called the second volume, Means of Ascent, “brilliant. No review does justice to the drama of the story Caro is telling, which is nothing less than how present-day politics was born.” The London Times hailed volume three, Master of the Senate, as “a masterpiece . . . Robert Caro has written one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age.” The Passage of Power, volume four, has been called “Shakespearean . . . A breathtakingly dramatic story [told] with consummate artistry and ardor” (The New York Times) and “as absorbing as a political thriller . . . By writing the best presidential biography the country has ever seen, Caro has forever changed the way we think about, and read, American history” (NPR). On the cover of The New York Times Book Review, President Bill Clinton praised it as “Brilliant . . . Important . . . Remarkable. With this fascinating and meticulous account Robert Caro has once again done America a great service.”

“Caro has a unique place among American political biographers,” The Boston Globe said . . . “He has become, in many ways, the standard by which his fellows are measured.” And Nicholas von Hoffman wrote: “Caro has changed the art of political biography.”

Born and raised in New York City, Caro graduated from Princeton University, was later a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and worked for six years as an investigative reporter for Newsday. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ina, the historian and writer.