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Previous studies of the rise of Lyndon B. Johnson have concentrated on his ruthless careerism without giving him due credit for his political brilliance, his genuine concern for minorities and the repressed, and his role in fully integrating the South into modern America. Beginning with his early days in Texas, his progress from Representatives to Senate, and his role as Majority Leader under Eisenhower, this first volume in Robert Dallek's biography ends with his nomination as Vice-President in 1960. This balanced account presents the LBJ esteemed by the likes of Roosevelt and Kennedy.
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FROM Andrew Jackson to Ronald Reagan, the image of the self-made man has effectively served occupants of the White House. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
FROM Andrew Jackson to Ronald Reagan, the image of the self-made man has effectively served occupants of the White House. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a good biography of Lyndon Johnson's early years up to the 1960 Presidential election when he became Vice President. It is particularly good it its detailed treatment of how Johnson used political power to both further the interests of the United States and his own career. Dallek has done a masterful job in showing Johnson tenacious and authentic philanthropy as well as his self-interested overbearingness. This is a great read for persons seeking a fair and reasonably objective biography about Johnson.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A history of Lyndon Johnson from birth to the time he is offered the vice-presidential spot on Kennedy's ticket, the book is detailed without being tedious. It gives a balanced, objective account of Johnson's life as well as his motivations and influences. It casts him in neither a positive nor negative light, but as something of a paradox... a man with good intentions but dirty means... a bigoted man who genuinely cared for minorities. A fair account of a complex man that keeps the reader coming back for the next page. Well-documented and researched. Very good book.
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11 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Presenting the good Lyndon
24 July 2002
Format:Hardcover
Dallek's biography has the virtue of being written by someone who clearly admires Johnson. As such, it is somewhat of a counterweight to Robert Caro and I suggest both be read for balance.
Nevertheless, in presenting the "good Lyndon", Dallek downplays the worst of Johnson. There is nothing particularly wrong with this (Dallek certainly doesn't ignore the flaws, just tends to gloss over them a little), but it does lead to a fairly tepid book, one that is nowhere near as much fun to read as Caro's. Thus, if I could only read one (which of course many readers will do considering the length of both Caro's and Dallek's presentations), I would read Caro's. Caro's second and third volumes (covering the 40's and 50's, roughly the second half of the Dallek volume being discussed here) are possibly the best political biography ever written. It is against that "competition" that Dallek's book must be weighed and I found, in the balance, that Dallek's work is merely ordinary.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
The Landmark LBJ Biography
26 Sep 2001
Format:Paperback
Dallek's two-volume examination of LBJ is a dramatic and nuanced examination of one the most complex figures in 20th century American history. Even almost three decades after his death, there are no shortage of people who see LBJ as the ultimate villan of American politics. Many people of this camp dislike Dallek's work, because he puts his subject in his context.
While Dallek does not excuse the sort of election fraud in which LBJ engaged, he does explain that it was wide spread. Some find this an unacceptable defense, but one should note that the sorts of tricks he describes have been wide spread in the US for most of the 19th and early 20th century. To dismiss LBJ for engaging in such activities who require similar condemnation of every US president from Adams to FDR.
Dallek in fact, is unflinching in discussing LBJ's negative side. His pension for strong arming opponents, his abuse of his staff, his womanizing and drinking, and his dirty tricks are all layed bare. At the same time, Dallek reviews how crucial LBJ was as part of the New Deal and his brave role as a champion of civil rights.
The other major LBJ biography by Caro is far less balanced in its approach to this complex and ultimately tragic figure. For a truly great and complete biography of LBJ, I suggest that you read this one.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Fascinating Look at a Public Man
15 Dec 2000
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
John Connally, former Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of Texas, who was very close to LBJ for many years once said that Johnson was a "strange and complex man who could be whatever he wanted to be", cruel or compassionate, crude or charming, selfish or generous. These traits are illustrated well in Robert Dallek's two volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. Fortunately, recent years have shown a more realistic view of Johnson as this complex man and not just the warmongering fiend the anti-Vietnam War people perceived more than 30 years ago. One of the most important points that Dallek brings out is that LBJ learned lessons from Franklin Roosevelt's deceptive policies of trying to bring the US into war with Nazi Germany, against American public opinion (which the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ultimately proved unnecessary) and applied them to his almost surrepitious effort to engage American troops in South Vietnam. I highly recommend these 2 books for anyone interested in American History or the study of political leadership.
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