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.

Amazingly well researched book

The book is so well researched, written and told, you get the feeling to live through history. After the path to power, means of ascent and the master of the Senate you feel close to Johnson and get to understand how LBJ built up his power and strong-arming capabilities over many years. his darker sides are exposed so brightly, one wonders LBJ was able to have so long a political career.
I will miss Caro's thoroughness and Gardner's voice that have accompanied me during the last six months. We can only hope that Caro manages to complete the last volume

The greatest presidential book series continues

What made the experience of listening to The Passage of Power the most enjoyable?

I'm not sure if the audio really enhanced the experience, but the smooth writing style and great stories made this a pleasure from start to finish.

What other book might you compare The Passage of Power to and why?

JFK: An Unfinished Life by Robert Dallek. That's another great Presidential biography covering roughly the same time period.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Being true to Caro's intent in his writing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It's too long for that.

Very powerful and elegantly written and narrated.

I liked the stories of contrasted personalities between Robert Kennedy and LBJ.

I was disappointed about little details Robert Caro gave the readers in this whole series of 4 volumes about the Vietnam War.

Masterful

All of Caro’s books on LBJ are extraordinary. All people who are interested in American politics of this period owe it to themselves to experience this and the other biographies of Johnson.

The accounts of the 1960 election, the Kennedy assassination, and Johnson’s handling of the transition are remarkable, especially in the dramatic narrative of the events. It’s very hard to stop listening in the middle of these splendidly told tales.

For those interested purely in politics and the engineering of legislation, the writing on passing both the tax bill and the civil rights bill is simply superb. Whatever else one might think of LBJ, the passion and the mastery he brought to moving these pieces of legislation demand the greatest respect.

I surely hope Caro will finish the next volume, but that’s another matter.

The narration is excellent.

Awesome

I wouldn't have thought that Robert Caro cpuld top "Master of the Senate", but he did. I admire LBJ so much more now.

This series of books are a must read.

Absolutely love this series. it is filled with deep relevant insight into LBJ, but more importantly how our political system works and how it has evolved. The quality of the writing is impeccable and so is the research. I am still blown away by Caro's ability to inform, enthrall, and entertain.

Excellent!

This is a lesson in how government works in addition to a history lesson. The part about the Kennedy assassination made me cry just like I did when it happened and I was only 15 years old. The part about the passage of the civil rights legislation has more tension in it than many suspense novels I've listened to.

We shouldn't expect our governmental leaders to be without fault. Johnson had many, but he was a great man.

Now I'll need to spend my credits for the next few months listening to the earlier volumes on Johnson.

Fabulous read

Like the the preceding books in the series, this volume was exceptionally well written and the narration superb. I eagerly await the final work of Mr. Cato.

Incredibly well done.

This is my third listen to the entire series and it is just so well done. Masterful.

The best political biography

Outstanding and riveting. Caro’s best book covering one of the most crucial phase of American history: