The Years of Lyndon Johnson

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A Classic and Essential Book on LBJ and his World - Rated
Although it would be impossible for a short review to really do justice to Caro's epic work on LBJ (of which this is only the first part), a reviewer can, at the very least, recommend it so strongly as to compel the reader to accept the recommendation. 'Path to Power' is a classic of modern literature; it is magnificent, and I compel you to read it.

Robert A. Caro's biography of Lyndon B. Johnson (the first volume of it, at least - 'Path to Power' concludes in 1941, after Johnson's defeat in the Senate election) is characterised by a relentless expansiveness - entire chapters are given over to chronicling the lives of Lyndon Johnson's ancestors; to mapping the complex political landscape both Lyndon, and his father, Sam, were born into; to describing the difficult, labour-intensive existence of Hill County families in the years prior to full rural electrification; and to telling of people as diverse as Sam Rayburn , Alice Green, and the Brown Brothers. (Caro's chapter on Sam Rayburn is particularly good - a gem of biographical writing.)

For Caro, no topic is out of bounds, whether social or historical, psychological or behavioural, if its inclusion and discussion helps to make sense of the ambitious, complicated, tyrannical (and very human) Johnson. We read more about LBJ than we have ever read before, and Caro ensures - through fine writing and sharp, incisive insights - that we are engrossed as we read.

'Path to Power' is a long book, full of detail and texture, with much to reward the patient reader. Finishing it, you feel you have begun to understand a complex man and his complex times.

And it is addictive - the second volume, a little shorter, and the third volume, quite a bit longer, will be irresistible once the first has been digested.