The Path to Power

The Years of Lyndon Johnson

By: Robert A. Caro

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 40 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart. It follows him from the Hill Country to New Deal Washington, from his boyhood through the years of the Depression to his debut as Congressman, his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, at age 31, of the national power for which he hungered.

In this book, we are brought as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process. Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, was a number-one national best seller and, like The Path to Power, received the National Book Critics Circle Award.

©1981, 1982 Robert A. Caro, Inc. (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

addictive

What did you love best about The Path to Power?

fascinating biography and great history of the times, particularly in Texas.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Path to Power?

The description of the Hill Country life before electrification. We all know about "rural electrification" in the 1930's but this shows what that meant.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's just a great reader.

How to be a Politician

A long but enthralling history of the political maneuvering of a truly professional politician,born and bred.I am left wondering if I like LBJ or not.Not a man to be trusted if you were in his way.Brilliantly written and well narrated.If you are interested in politics,this is the book to listen to.

Path to hell

This first volume is so critical to understand the psychology behind this astonishing figure of American history. His casual dishonesty willingness to use every subterfuge to advance him self. But the background of poverty in Texas the plight of women in the hill country before electricity the wasting of the land by early settlers is just an overwhelming reading and intellectual experience..It all leads to Vietnam but also to the voting rights act in the civil rights act and Medicare and Medicaid. Couple it with Roosevelt a traitor to his class another grade read

LBJ: as shrewd as he was loyal & he got stuf done.

This is is truly a story worth telling, and Robert Caro's disciplined research and craft is impeccable.

I'm looking forward to the next three volumes (performance is also brilliant), and ultimately, Caro's last volume, in which I imagine we'll have incredible insights into LBJs presidency.

Johnson was one of a kind, and his instincts, charm, and ability to manipulate brought him great rewards.

that said, the thing that separates him from almost any other politico--certainly the jacks currently running the US Government--was his work ethic, and his loyalties. Those who helped him were never used simply as stepping stones, and his relationship with Rayburn is the most fascinating part of this volume's story.

Lives up to the hype and then some

Like everyone else, I have heard many times that this is perhaps the greatest biography ever written. I can’t claim to be a connoisseur, but it sure was the best one I’ve ever read, and honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. I am neither a Democrat nor a fan of Johnson, but that has nothing to do with the pleasure I took from this book. To be sure, Carl obviously detests Johnson, but he does a very good job of showing why. It is a masterful, page-turning case study in what it takes to gain and wield power, how hustle is often more important than book-learning, and just in sheer human nature. Yes, it’s a commitment, but it is absolutely one that will pay great rewards. The narration was also superb. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would.

Path to Power

I would have liked this book better if it had been abridged.
The ending seemed “chopped off”.
But I do recommend this Biography.

A path to understanding US history

At over 40 hours it is mostly fascinating, but could have used some editing to avoid repetition. It’s a history of Texas in the US as well as a biography.

Incredible

By far the best nonfiction book I’ve ever read and Grover Gardners always masterful narration makes it all the better

The Pulsing History of LBJ's Early Years

"...if Lyndon Johnson was not a reader of books, he was a reader of men--a reader with a rare ability to see into their souls."
-- Robert A Caro, The Path to Power

If the next three (and the final, yet to be written book) are as polished and well-researched as this one, this may end up being the definitive biography of any president. I loved Morris' Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy. It and Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton were nearly tied in my affection and esteem as my favorite political biographies. This one just jumped ahead.

Caro writes as well about place and people as John McPhee. He seems to possess all the qualities you want in an academic and popular historian. I bought these novels years ago. They sat collecting dust behind me and haunted me, but I was afraid to pick them up. They are just damn intimidating. Not just their thickness, but also the heft. The books are dense and heavy. So, each time I turned to read them, I imagined some immense mountain I would need to climb. But Caro's narrative is so easy, so fascinating, so compelling that the mountain practically pulls you up. After the first chapter I had a hard time putting this beast down.

Great intrduction to understanding LBJ's life

this was a great book that gave a good introduction into the young life of LBJ looking forward to reading the other three books