The Passage of Power

The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Book 4

By: Robert A. Caro

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 32 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Critics Circle Award, Biography, 2013

The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career - 1958 to 1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin’s bullet to reach its mark.

For the first time, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson’s eyes. We watch Johnson step into the presidency, inheriting a staff fiercely loyal to his slain predecessor; a Congress determined to retain its power over the executive branch; and a nation in shock and mourning. We see how within weeks - grasping the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery - he propels through Congress essential legislation that at the time of Kennedy’s death seemed hopelessly logjammed and seizes on a dormant Kennedy program to create the revolutionary War on Poverty.

Caro makes clear how the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate now enabled him to make the presidency wholly his own. This was without doubt Johnson’s finest hour, before his aspirations and accomplishments were overshadowed and eroded by the trap of Vietnam.

It is an epic story told with a depth of detail possible only through the peerless research that forms the foundation of Robert Caro’s work, confirming Nicholas von Hoffman’s verdict that “Caro has changed the art of political biography.”

©2012 Robert A. Caro (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Really interesting biography

I'm a big fan of political history and biographies, and this didn't disappoint. I think it was Bill Clinton who said that history may prove kinder to LBJ in the future, and this book will likely make you agree. When I purchased it, I noticed a few reviews where people were upset at all the ground left to cover, but this is a four book biography, and I'm not sure how they missed the specific scope of this volume. It delivers exactly what is promised.

I'm not romanticizing LBJ--his role in Vietnam's escalation was too negative to forget--but this book reminds you about some of his major, positive contributions in getting things through the House and Senate in the face of overwhelming opposition on both sides of the aisle. The passing of the Civil Rights Act alone is a testament to the good this complicated president accomplished, and this book takes you behind the scenes to witness that it was far from an 'idea who's time has come' in the political arena. He didn't just shepard it through with a lot of support, and the book (like others I've read on the subject, but in greater detail that was fascinating) leaves little doubt that Johnson's skill in the Senate was likely the key to it's passage at the time. It would be truly interesting if we could glimpse what Kennedy might have accomplished if not for his horrible murder, but it's pretty clear that it might well have been far less than Johnson due to the gap in their legislative experience. I'm not knocking Kennedy there, but the tricks, manipulation, and maneuvering it required to defeat the tricks, manipulation, and maneuvering of opponents was breathtaking. In laying out the battle behind the scenes, Caro makes crystal clear that the fact that LBJ had employed all those skills himself as majority leader, and early indications of Kennedy's naiveté in that department, would almost certainly have led to failure if LBJ hadn't been at the wheel.

It's sort of a testament to the whims of history that his earlier, great, accomplishments were so overshadowed by his later, admittedly huge, mistakes. I think a fairer recollection would speak to a balance between these actions. Finally, it was fascinating to get a much fuller picture of him as a man, which was also a study in contrasts. He was frozen by fear of failure, and driven to become successful at the same time. Thoughtful and down-to-earth, while at other times, a corrupt tyrant and master of manipulation. Talk about a truly mixed bag.

Well worth the credit--and I love Grover Gardner's narration of any book.

The greatest biography ever written!

Authors often make their protagonist a hero (or a villain). In this biography Caro does neither. He gives you a realistic depiction of a leader. LBJ is a man with many faults. He is neither hero nor villain. He is a gritty bare knuckle sort of man who will do anything to advance his goals be they personal or political. LBJ will not let anything stand in his way. I admired him, pitied him and reviled him.

Fantastic story of LBJ. Amazing narration!

Just superb. Fair and insightful on a topic that has so often been lacking both. I can't wait for the next installment in the series!

Best of Caro’s works

An actual 1,000 page page-turner. Compelling, riveting, compassionate. And a true learning experience. And the audiobook performer’s voice is just perfect.

Excellent

I’ve been voraciously “reading” each of these volumes. They are astoundingly detailed without being tedious. So much so that shorter works now seem lesser than. My only complaint is that this was obviously digitized from the original cassette recordings. As a result the listener is routinely prompted to change or turn over a cassette. It’s a bit annoying when you are fully immersed in such a rich story being so expertly read. But if that’s the price one must pay to listen, then it is worth it.

an eye opener in to this President

and how corrupt he was and how corrupt politics is all around. You will hate what you hear but you will learn a good deal!!!! try it!

Great look at an underrated president

Loved it. How and why LBJ became president. The Passage of Power will make you see why he decided to accept the role of VP and, after he became president, how he accomplished his goals.

History at its best!

This continues one of the great series in American history. LBJ is one of the most interesting and complex characters in US history, and Robert Caro is one of the great writers of nonfiction. This combination cannot be beat. The earlier books are great, but this book stands on its own as well. There is a lot on the Kennedy brothers (Jack and Bobby) which I enjoyed as well. The book covers Johnson's years running for VP with Kennedy, his years a vice president, and the first few months of his presidency. This held my attention like an engaging novel. I learned a lot too. I cannot speak highly enough about Robert Caro and his LBJ series.

This is a fairly long book, and for the first time, I read the ebook version, and tried Whisper Sync to switch back and forth between audio and reading. The narrator was great, and the synching was all automatic! I did need to download the Audible app on my iPhone, and listen through that and not iTunes. When I switched devices, within 5 seconds, I was asked if I wanted to go forward to the spot the other device was at. This book was equally compelling reading or listening.

Understanding a Past President

LBJ isn't always appreciated for his passions, his goals, and the role he played in our country. He was certainly not perfect. But he did have some lofty goals for the nation in the midst of his temper and ego. Well written and well delivered by the reader.

POWER & COMPROMISE

Though Robert Caro’s advancing years may make him seem like a ghost writer for Plutarch, he continues to turn out the best biographies being written in the 21st century. After reading “The Power Broker” (published in 1974 about Robert Moses and land planning in New York), one becomes witness to the power of Caro’s research and dramatic skill in reporting on post-20th-century American’ movers and shakers. His next project, after “The Power Broker” became Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States.

A left-wing liberal says Obama compromises too much while a right-wing conservative says Obama does not compromise at all; neither is correct. Extreme positions are rarely correct. The life and times of Lyndon Johnson are not unlike the life and times of Barrack Obama. The concern is that President Obama, though extremely persuasive, does not have the congressional’ experience that gave Lyndon Johnson the wisdom, and a “stick”, that could make Congress act.

Robert Caro’s book, “The Passage of Power”, is a lesson in history that offers insight to governing America today.