Describe Books Conducive To Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2)
| Original Title: | Means of Ascent |
| ISBN: | 067973371X (ISBN13: 9780679733713) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2 |
| Characters: | Lyndon B. Johnson, Coke R. Stevenson |
| Literary Awards: | National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography/Autobiography (1990) |
Robert A. Caro
Paperback | Pages: 592 pages Rating: 4.25 | 20612 Users | 575 Reviews
Rendition In Favor Of Books Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2)
Robert A. Caro's life of Lyndon Johnson, which began with the greatly acclaimed The Path to Power, also winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, continues -- one of the richest, most intensive and most revealing examinations ever undertaken of an American President. In Means of Ascent the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer/historian, chronicler also of Robert Moses in The Power Broker, carries Johnson through his service in World War II and the foundation of his long-concealed fortune and the facts behind the myths he created about it. But the explosive heart of the book is Caro's revelation of the true story of the fiercely contested 1948 senatorial election, for forty years shrouded in rumor, which Johnson had to win or face certain political death, and which he did win -- by "the 87 votes that changed history." Caro makes us witness to a momentous turning point in American politics: the tragic last stand of the old politics versus the new -- the politics of issue versus the politics of image, mass manipulation, money and electronic dazzle.
List Regarding Books Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2)
| Title | : | Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2) |
| Author | : | Robert A. Caro |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 592 pages |
| Published | : | March 6th 1991 by Vintage (first published March 7th 1990) |
| Categories | : | Biography. History. Politics. Nonfiction. North American Hi.... American History. Presidents. Biography Memoir |
Rating Regarding Books Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2)
Ratings: 4.25 From 20612 Users | 575 ReviewsAssess Regarding Books Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #2)
In my view the best of the 3 Caro books on Johnson. (All are great.) He made me care about Coke Stephenson someone I'd never heard of before. I'm just hopefully Caro stays healthy enough to finish this wonderful series.The second volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson tells the story of LBJ's rise from a mere Congressman, one with little hope for significant advancement, to his unlikely election to the U.S. Senate. The majority of the pages describe Johnson's relentless, ruthless, expensive, and dishonest campaign against former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson for the 1948 Democratic nomination, which Johnson officially (but far from legitimately) won by 87 votes.Texas at the time was a one-party state with the
To say that Means of Ascent does not reach the towering heights of Caro's first volume of his Years of Lyndon Johnson is no slight. Path to Power is one of the greatest feats of biography I've ever read. The only reason Means falls short is because it happens to dwell on LBJ's wilderness years. This was the time between his first failed senate run, during a special election, and his second, successful senate run, which culminated in the famed "87 votes that changed America." During these 7
If the first volume of Caro's LBJ biography was a broad canvas - from the foundation of Texas through Johnson's family history, his progress to adulthood, and early political triumphs, this is much more focused on the detail of a seven-year period between Pearl Harbour and Johnson's arrival in the Senate.It deals with Johnson's war service - or what passes for it - his depression as he struggles to make an impact in Congress - and then zeroes in on the 1948 election for the Senate that becomes
Caro's second, thorough volume on LBJ picks up after his defeat in the 1941 special Senatorial election. Caro then spends a few chapters basically summarizing what happened in volume I The Path to Power. While this is certainly helpful for anyone who did not read the first volume, or perhaps needed a refresher on Johnson's rise to Congress, I found it somewhat unnecessary. Not bad by any means, just not really needed. This includes a chapter on Lady Bird and Johnson's despicable and harsh
Enthralling and disturbing book, which covers the period from 1941 until the 1948 Texas Democratic senatorial primary, between Lyndon Johnson and Coke Stevenson. Caro chronicles Johnsons utter ruthlessness . . . and a seemingly bottomless capacity for deceit, deception and betrayal. The title brilliant captures not just how LBJ ascended to power, but also on the age-old debate over ends and meanshow the dark features of LBJs character meshed with and ran parallel to virtuous initiatives. The
Despite my delays in finishing this (other books took precedence) I really, really enjoyed this book. Magnificently researched and written, it has truly set the bar very high for future biographies that I read.
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