Masterworks - Rated 
Master of the Senate is the third of four books in the Johnson biography by Caro. It's the lesser of the three so far published but an amazing read nevertheless. The first two, Path to Power and Means of Ascent, are as good a pair of non-fiction books as I have ever read. Utterly enthralling as historical and psychological works, and written to the highest standard possible. The Senate book is as important as them but a little boring in parts because of the background detail on the Senate history.
I had no interest in this man before reading these works but I literally can hardly wait for the fourth and final book on Johnson's presidency.
Strange but true: a cliffhanger... - Rated
Whether we like it or not, US politics are key to us Europeans. Whether welike or not - and no doubt there are times we like it rather less - thesheer power of the US, the ubiquity of US culture, our two centuries ofshared history and wars, the blood shed by US soldiers on our land, thedeep bonds that tie our nations - and no doubt there are times we havedeep reservations about these bonds - all make US politics key to us. Andunderstanding them, and what makes them what they are, and how they cameto be what they are, are fundamental for us Europeans to come to termswith an often difficult relationship. And in order to achieve some measureof understanding, one has to delve into US political history, and into thehistory of US political institutions.
In this area, Mr. Caro's book should be compulsory reading.
If it where just a biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, it would deserve thehighest praise. Meticulously researched, unswervingly evenhanded in theappraisal of the central character, both critical and admirative, here isa book that reads like a thriller. Obviously, the chapters detailing howthe 1957 Civil Rights Act became law is the most spectular example of howMr. Caro turns history into a fascinating, palpitating piece of literaturethat one simply cannot put down. The way the plot unfolds, the way thedramatis personae are brought to the stage, the way events big and smallare brought to play is simply masterful. But other examples abound, thatthe reader will enjoy just as much. On literary value, storytelling power,historical perspective on the man and politician L.B. Johnson alone, thisbook stands.
What really fascinates, though, is the insight Mr. Caro provides in theinner workings of a great institution, the Senate of the United States. Itshows its grand sides, its moments of grandeur, its solemn and momentoustimes, and its petty, dark, cynical workings. The opening chapters containa superb short history of the Senate, bringing into perspective thetensions between South and North, liberals and conservatives, and the waythese tensions modeled and conditioned the way the US Senate would mold,and quite often would refuse to mold US policy. The narrative builds up analmost palpable image of the institution and its workings. Fascinatingstuff.
I could go on and on... Suffice it to say: the moment I finished reading,I ordered the first two volumes of Mr. Caro's LBJ biography.
|
