Lyndon B. Johnson

The American Presidents #36

by Charles Peters, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (Editor), Sean Wilentz (Editor)

The towering figure who sought to transform America into a "Great Society" but whose ambitions and presidency collapsed in the tragedy of the Vietnam War Few figures in American history are as compelling and complex as Lyndon Baines Johnson, who established himself as the master of the U.S. Senate in the 1950s and succeeded John F. Kennedy in the White House after Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. Charles Peters, a keen observer of Washington politics for more than five decades, tells the story of Johnson's presidency as the tale of an immensely talented politician driven by ambition and desire. As part of the Kennedy-Johnson administration from 1961 to 1968, Peters knew key players, including Johnson's aides, giving him inside knowledge of the legislative wizardry that led to historic triumphs like the Voting Rights Act and the personal insecurities that led to the tragedy of Vietnam. Peters's experiences have given him unique insight into the poisonous rivalry between Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy, showing how their misunderstanding of each other exacerbated Johnson's self-doubt and led him into the morass of Vietnam, which crippled his presidency and finally drove this larger-than-life man from the office that was his lifelong ambition.

Genres: Presidents, History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, Us Presidents

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Charles Given Peters Jr. (December 22, 1926 – November 23, 2023) was an American journalist, editor, and author. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of the Washington Monthly magazine and the author of We Do Our Part: Toward A Fairer and More Equal America (Random House, 2017). Writing in The New York Times, Jonathan Martin called the book a “well timed … cri de coeur” and “a desperate plea to his country and party to resist the temptations of greed, materialism and elitism.”

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Charles T. Peters Jr.: Erotic

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyndon Johnson In The American Presidents Series

For aging American baby boomers, the presidency of Lyndon Johnson brings back painful memories. Johnson (1908 -- 1973) became the 36th president on November 22, 1963, following the assassination of President John Kennedy. He is known for his escalation of the War in Vietnam and for the tumultuous period of unrest in the United States which followed in its wake.

Charles Peters offers a portrayal of Johnson, in all his complexity, in his recent short biography in the American Presidents Series edited by the late Arthur Schelsinger Jr. and by Sean Willentz. The books in this series give valuable short introductions and assessments to each of our presidents. Several of the volumes, including this biography of Johnson, are not mere summaries but rather offer and informed and challenging perspective in their own right. A political insider. Peters edited the "Washington Monthly" for 32 years, and he has written a book about "How Washington Really Works" and a book about the Republican nomination of Wendell Wilkie for president in 1940.

Peters gives much space to Johnson's life before he became president. The background he offers is essential to understanding the man. Born to poverty in rural Texas, Johnson struggled to afford and to graduate from Southwest Texas State Teachers College. His ambition and domineering personality showed as a young man, and Johnson early proved adept in learning to network. In 1931, Johnson became a staff assistant to Representative Richard Kleberg and, with a short two-year interlude, he would remain in Washington, D.C. until the conclusion of his presidency.

After an intense courtship, Johnson married the well to do Lady Bird Taylor. During their long marriage, he was frequently unfaithful to her. Many of his affairs were known to Washington insiders if not to the larger public. Johnson was elected to the House of Representatives in 1937, was narrowly defeated for the U.S. Senate in 1941, and in turn won a disputed and highly controversial election to the Senate in 1948. During his early tenure in Washington, Johnson ingratiated himself with powerful and important individuals including President Roosevelt and Sam Rayburn.

With his legislative skills, Johnson rose quickly, becoming Senate majority whip in
1951, and majority leader in 1955. In 1955, likely as a result of stress, smoking, and heavy drinking, he suffered a major heart attack. Johnson unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1956. In 1957, he was instrumental in securing the passage of the first major Civil Rights legislation in 100 years. He sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1960, and accepted the Vice-presidential nomination offered by a reluctant John Kennedy in order to secure Southern support for the ticket. The southerner Johnson and the patrician Kennedys never got along well. Johnson became president when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas and in 1964 was elected to the presidency in his own right in a landslide against Barry Goldwater.

Johnson's domineering personality, shrewdness, and knowledge of the legislative process helped him secure an ambitious domestic program upon Kennedy's death. Johnson also had a commitment to Civil Rights which was probably more deeply felt than his predecessor's. He secured the enactment of landmark Civil Rights legislation in 1964 and voting rights legislation in 1965. In 1965, Johnson secured the passage of Medicare as well as of a sweeping Immigration Reform Bill the consequences of which remain with the United States today. Johnson also initiated a series of programs known as the War on Poverty with at best mixed results. His domestic vision was known as the "Great Society".

Johnson will forever be remembered for escalating the War in Vietnam. Peters' book focuses on how this escalation came about. He argues that Johnson felt pressured by many politicians he viewed as hawkish, including Robert Kennedy. Robert Kennedy had, apparently unknown to Johnson, offered a softer line some three years earlier in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Against some doubts on his part, Johnson emeshed himself in Vietnam by sending ground troops. Oddly enough, most of his critics challenged his use of air raids and did not place enough emphasis on the ground war. With the tragedy of the Vietnam war, came the student protests, rioting, the year 1968, and massive changes that remain with the United States, for good and bad. Much of subsequent United States history, unhappily, can be viewed as a reaction to both the War in Vietnam and to the unrest which followed it, culminating in 1968 with the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Johnson declined to run for the presidency in 1968. Richard Nixon eked out a narrow victory over Hubert Humphrey.

Peters emphasizes both Johnson's virtues and skills together with his weak points -- his bullying, philandering, crudeness, and, sometimes, tendency to deceive. It is the mark of many other changes in American life that Johnson engaged, with the knowledge of the media, in sexual and other forms of conduct (forcing male staff to swim nude with him so that Johnson could belittle the size of their members) that would not be tolerated in a president today. In his assessment of Johnson, Peters writes that "it seems likely that history will rank Johnson in the group of presidents just below the top tier of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt." ( p. 159) Given his account of Johnson's presidency and character, Peters' estimate seems to me far too generous.

Peters has written an excellent short account of an important American president. Many Americans, including me, are old enough to remember Johnson. His presidency still remains relatively recent and highly charged. Its consequences still remain with the United States.

Robin Friedman

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most interesting book in this series, but still well worth reading. Peters quotes Lady Bird's press secretary Liz Carpenter at the end: "That's just him. You have to face the fact that he was that way. You had to accept him warts and all." And so does history." That seems to be the guiding principle behind Peters narrative. Johnson was a combination of diamond and dirt, and Peters shows both sides. The cheating husband and horrible boss (The Devil Wears Prada in politics) was also the gentle giant who passed the Great Society. It's a study in contrasts. If Peters didn't bring LBJ quite to life in the book, he certainly presented the many facets of a president that history is still trying to figure out.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complex yet determined man. Very excellent book!

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book immediately after reading the book on Kennedy in this series, which is the way to read them (in chronological order). Right now I am in the process of buying the whole set for my personal library (I'm up to John Adams lol) after which I will reread the whole set starting with George Washington and ending with George W. Bush. When I first started reading the series I didn’t have the intention of reading the whole set. I just saw the book on Rutherford B. Hayes and thought to myself, "I don’t know anything about Hayes. I should read that book." I was captivated by that book enough that I continued reading books in this series to the point where I thought it would be a shame not to read them all.

The books on Kennedy and Ford were five star books for me. I gave the LBJ book four stars because I thought it was a little light on his presidential career and heavy on his congressional career, although I must grant that LBJ's congressional career was long and significant.

One thing I enjoy about these books is the presidential quotes. LBJ, being a colorful character certainly had some memorable ones. I thought that "Now I know the difference between a caucus and a cactus. In a cactus all the pricks are on the outside" was interesting enough to share on Facebook. I’m not sure I needed to know that LBJ's penis was so big that he nicknamed it "Jumbo," but there it is. I’m also not sure why some presidents are such schmucks while others are of exemplary character. I knew Kennedy was a philanderer but I didn’t know LBJ was as well. I guess that is why his dick needed a nickname.

As I said in my previous review, Kennedy was the first president to impinge upon my young consciousness (I was born in 1958). I remember about the Johnson/Goldwater election, probably not from memories from 1964 (I was only six years old at the time) but because of my dad making terrible remarks about Goldwater, likely years later. Dad was never reticent about making his political opinions known, at least not to his family.

The two things that stick out in my mind about the Johnson administration are the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights Movement. So when the book talked about the Tet offensive and the Gulf of Tonkin resolution I recognized the names, although I’m sure that at the time I was too young to understand what was going on. I also remember the RFK and MLK assassinations. I am sad to say that the RFK assassination made more of an impact on me than the MLK assassination, because surely the MLK assassination was the more impactful of the two.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyndon B. Johnson is the thirtieth-fifth book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. Charles Peters wrote this particular installment and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Sean Wilentz.

Lyndon Baines Johnson was an American politician who served as the thirty-sixth President of the United States from 1963–1969. Formerly the thirty-seventh Vice President from 1961–1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a United States Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.

Peters, a former member of Johnson's administration, asserts that Johnson, raised in the nasty world of Texas politics, remained ruthlessly dedicated to his own advancement and became a great, if flawed, statesman. Congressman Johnson's work ethic and fawning charm appealed to FDR in 1930s Washington, but in 1948, power took priority, leading Johnson toward conservatism upon entering the Southern-dominated Senate.

Despite his brilliance as majority leader during the 1950s, few took his presidential ambitions seriously and the 1960 offer to be Kennedy’s running mate was viewed as his only hope. However, after Kennedy's assassination, Johnson transformed himself again, this time into a compassionate reformer. His Medicare and anti-poverty legislation closed out the Roosevelt era, and his civil rights bills made him the greatest benefactor of African-Americans since Lincoln.

All in all, Lyndon B. Johnson is a good, albeit concise biography of the thirtieth-sixth President and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.

[Jack R.]

The American Presidents series is one of the greatest projects in popular history put to page. The fact that renowned historians, scholars, and intellectuals wrote compact, readable, and informative biographies of every single president is beyond commendable. Yet, not every entry in this series is of equal quality. Michael Holt's Franklin Pierce biography is the best possible on that lowly president, while John Dean's Warren G. Harding volume reads like downright apologia (for Harding, Nixon, and Dean himself).

While Charles Peters' biography of Johnson is compact and readable, its information betrays the mind of a journalist (the author's profession), more interested in personal anecdotes and asides than complex historical themes and factors. For example, Peters will spend several pages on a single meeting concerning (pivotal, yes) escalating the Vietnam War in 1965— elaborating on figures present, arguments said, reactions produced— but will not spend the same effort on tackling the full extent of Johnson's crowning legislative achievements in the Great Society. LBJ's several affairs also get notable coverage. Indeed, Peters, in the acknowledgements, discusses his own time in the Kennedy-Johnson administration and hearing all the intrigue and gossip that went along with the job. Peters likes the personalities involved, he knew them and wants to explore their inner thoughts and outward behaviors, not with a historians eye but a journalists salacious touch.

There are numerous Johnson biographies, including the bloated Caro series, and one should only approach Peters' volume as the most entry of entryways to the towering Texan.

[William Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

History has been kinder than the era when President Johnson decided not to run for the Presidency! He was not very popular when he left office. His good works were overshadowed by the Vietnam War. I have always been a fan of President Johnson and I have been to the Johnson Ranch and Library. This book provides a really good summary of his life and his political record. I learned that Johnson first taught in a small school in Cotulla, Texas. He taught twenty-eight fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders. He worked hard and developed extracurricular activities and arranged a parent-teacher group. He took the job to make money and as the author points out, he did good (Peters, p. 8)! It affected how he saw America and is part of the reason he worked to improve the lot of the poor. He did foresee that the South would have to end segregation and that it would turn Republican after the Civil Rights Bill was passed. Johnson was a strong yet fragile man. He was afraid to appear weak which is one reason he continued in the Vietnam War. I was not aware as to how deep his feud with Bobby Kennedy was and how much Bobby hated Johnson. I was not aware of how much of a womanizer Johnson was until reading this book. But for all his faults, Johnson had many successes. Author Charles Peters points out that only Franklin Roosevelt can match Johnson's legislative record. Johnson passed Medicare and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as two examples of his legislative success. This book is another in the American President's Series edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger and Sean Wilentz by Times Books, Henry Holt and Company. I highly recommend the series to all readers.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This serves as an excellent introduction to Lyndon B. Johnson’s life and presidency. It is brief (to the point of almost being a whistle stop tour) but that is precisely what I look for in an introduction. It presents a dual nature of Johnson as a man who could be kind and genuinely likeable, but also a harsh boss and serial womaniser. The author particularly expands on aspects of Johnson’s legislative achievements that are often overshadowed by his legacy of involvement in Vietnam. In fact, the Vietnam conflict only appears toward the final chapters of the book and probably deserved more discussion.

In the final chapter the author briefly mentions that he thinks Johnson may have been projecting his own insecurities onto his colleagues as an explanation for his often abrasive behaviour. I found this to be quite an odd statement to leave at the end of the book having not been developed at all throughout prior chapters.

My qualms about the lack of Vietnam and unusual psychology aside; this book serves as an excellent (and succinct) introduction to someone unfamiliar with Johnson’s life or presidency.

[Gary Schantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked LBJ. I am not sure why that is but every time I have read a book about him or watched a movie or documentary about him, he reminded of my grandfather who also had big personality.

Anyhow, I enjoyed this book but like most of the others, it always has to include the Kennedy family and all the issues that go along with their history as if an LBJ presidency was not successful or would not have occurred without them.

Then there is the inclusion of Vietnam (which is historically necessary but unnecessarily incomplete) plays like only LBJ was the reason for the failures of that war

A war which began under the Truman Doctrine (beginning with Korea) in 1954 when Eisenhower was president of stopping Communism wherever it reared its head. Truman, Ike, and JFK all seem to get a pass whenever there is book, discussion, or movie made about this subject while LBJ is pushed to the forefront as the sole reason for its failures.

I would even go so far as to opine that if hadn't have been for Watergate, most historians would not bother to hold Nixon accountable for his part in allowing Vietnam to last beyond LBJ's presidency.

[Michael Loveless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Peters' biography of Lyndon Johnson for the American Presidents series was exactly what I expected it to be. It was brief and informative, and although the author did not ignore Johnson's flaws, he did present an image of a good man who tried to do the right things. Peters tied Johnson's anti-poverty efforts to his experiences with poor people early in life. Although Johnson had empathy for the poor and oppressed, his big ego often caused him to bully the people around him in various ways. Peters also did a good job showing that Johnson did not go into Vietnam blindly, without knowing the potential pitfalls. Arguments against American escalation were clearly made. The book gave the impression that although the dangers were understood by all, the dangers of leaving (strategic, diplomatic, and political) seemed to be more real. This biography is probably not a great book, but it is a good introduction to Johnson.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2010, Writer Charles Peters published a political biography of Lyndon B. Johnson in The American Presidents series. Peters writes in his author’s biography that his political career “included working on President John F. Kennedy’s campaign and “helping to launch the Peace Corps” (202). Peters’ role in Peace Corps during the administrations of President Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson, so Peters wrote he knew both people on “the complicated relationship between Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy brothers” (183). Similar to other books in The American Presidents series, Peters’ biography of Lyndon Johnson is short, effective, and well-researched. I read the book on my Kindle. The first chapter of Peters’ biography of Lyndon Johnson, "Early Life” (1) was both an introductory chapter and covered the life of Lyndon Johnson before he went to Washington D.C as the private secretary of a member of Congress from Texas in 1931 (9-11). It is impressive how much ground Peters’ biography of Lyndon B. Johnson is only 162 pages, but the biography covers his whole complex life of 64 years granted focused on his political life along with a sense of the time and place of Lyndon Johnson’s birth. Along with the era that Johnson was president which was the 1960s. This book includes a Timeline and Selected Bibliography. Peters’ biography is a well-done introduction to the political biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. On a side note, Steve of the blog, My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies has excellent reviews of several of The American Presidents series biographies.

[Robert Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to an important presidency

To begin with I'm a clinical social worker and I have to say I believe that I see more day to day positive benefits of LBJ's presidency than I have of any other presidency. Being interested in this fascinating man, I found this book to be a good introduction and overview of his presidency. I fully plan to study him more in depth as there is much to explore. I felt the author did a very good job of explaining how important LBJ's presidency was in promoting important domestic policies that our nation values. I have felt increased respect and admiration for this president the more I study him. This book is a good introduction and analysis that is very well laid out and enjoyable to read.

[Kaleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyndon Johnson was an interesting president in a variety of senses. One of the few vice presidents to ascend to the presidency without a vote. He seemed to straddle a strange line between conservative (Vietnam) and liberal (medicare and the voting rights act). As a person, I don't think I would have liked him very much but he seemed to be a shrewd leader in many senses. It seemed like he knew when to push his agenda and when to fall back. Overall another interesting read in my journey to read a biography of each U.S. president. I think the shortness of this book gave a good overview without going too much into the weeds.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a LOT more to be read and learned about LBJ. This book was good, but did not touch at all on some major events, like the appointment of Thurgood Marshall, his battles in the Senate and more expansion on the legacy of the legislation he got passed as President. Definitely one I would like to read more about. 

[Brice Fuqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, brief biography of one of the most significant, yet controversial presidents of the 20th Century.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I would have liked a little more despite not checking the length before getting it. Either way, I left with much more knowledge than I came with; therefore, it was a success.

[Alex Dimaio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief overview of a complicated leader

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

it skipped a few steps (quite obviously). still, more than i ever knew

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid straightforward account of the 36th President.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

as always, wonderful in this contemporary with no fantastic or elements but a surprise in the ending!

[Zach Koenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The presidency of Lyndon Johnson has always fascinated me, to try and understand how a man could react to crowds shouting "Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today!". This book by author Charles Peters gives a very good portrait of the Johnson administration and how it has came to be known.

The main thrust of this book focuses on the dichotomy of Johnson's years in office. On the one hand, he passed some of the greatest legislation of the Civil Rights movement. Plus, he championed the Medicare system. On the other hand, his stubborn nature was part of the reason why Vietnam turned into such a quagmire.

This was one of the better books in this series I have read. It doesn't get bogged down in legislative stuff (even during Johnson's Senate terms) and walks the line between focusing on Johnson's administration vs. his personality. Nothing here to dissuade you from the series.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

LBJ is certainly a fascinating character, and this account makes me want to read more; one of these days I will tackle the Robert Caro volumes. This is a very engaging account of LBJ, using about half of its meager 160 pages to cover his presidency. Peters bogs down a bit when explaining the machinations around the Gulf of Tonkiin resolution (built on lies as we now know), but otherwise this is a very lively read - both serious and full of the colorful anecdotes we expect out of LBJ.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of LBJ could be described as Robert A. Caro light. In all fairness, however, Peters wrote the book for the LBJ entry in The American Presidents series. Arthur Schlesinger and Sean Wilentz are the general editors of the series the purpose of which is to provide brief and generalized presidential biographies. .

It is difficult to review this book because I lived through the Johnson presidency and have read Caro's excellent and detailed biography of LBJ. As such, I am acquainted with the general aspects of Johnson's life and presidency. Gaining a general knowledge of his life is, of course, the objective of Peters' book. He realizes this objective in keeping with goals of the series. Knowing that Johnson had an affair with Helen Gahagan Douglas was new information.

Peters also extensively documents how LBJ lied about the Gulf of Tonkin. He deliberately did not inform Congress or the public that two days before the alleged attack on the Maddox, South Vietnamese forces raided North Vietnamese coastal installations. As a result of this partial truth, Congress gave Johnson almost unlimited authority to conduct the war. Ultimately Johnson's escalation and mishandling of the war led to his refusal to run for a second term and great harm to his reputation.

Johnson's significant contribution was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a year later Medicare and Voting Rights, all part of the Great Society. Peters emphasizes the importance of this legislation.

Peters concludes by wondering how much LBJ's obsessive fear of being categorized as a coward contributed to the tragedy of Viet Nam. And, whether his abusive behavior toward his staff was the result of his insecurities. He suggests, taking LBJ warts and all.

[Jason Chambers · Rating 2 out of 5]

His is the first I've read of the American Presidents series and its not one that inspires confidence in the rest of the series.

I enjoy a little political knowledge and criticism in Presidential biographies and Peters certainly lacks that. He seems to have a fairly skin-deep knowledge of the political process and doesn't offer any interesting analyses.

If you're interested in the political bent of an author, Peters certainly comes from the left side of the aisle and can't resist a few shots at Republicans that often come out of the blue. But he's not overbearing in his bias.

Overall, it's a C- effort. A decent overview of Johnson's life in 160 pages. Worthwhile if you're using it to supplement Caro or Johnson's autobiography. Fortunately, it reads quickly so you won't lose too many hours on it.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful, brief biography of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. This is one in a series, called "The American Presidents." They are all rather short, designed to be accessible to lots of people who might not want to wade through a 600 page biography. That is both the strength and the weakness of this series. One gets a "quick and dirty" introduction to the presidents, but at the cost of depth.

Each reader must determine if the tradeoff is worth it.

At that, this is an interesting addition to the series. The author takes a rather sharp-eyed view of Johnson, discussing both his strengths and his more problematic elements. It attempts to make sense of his life and is honest in its view of Johnson.

All in all, a useful work, despite its brevity.

[Toocutedobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on a president who changed the course of history in many ways. LBJ was a man with a huge ego, a wandering eye, many insecurities and in spite of all his flaws was a great hero in civil rights and social change. This is a short book but tightly packed with information making it a great read for those interested in history and an eye for current events. I will admit that I had checked this book out of my library previously and did not finish it. But seeing it on the shelf again I decided I was in the right frame of mind to read this book from cover to cover and I am glad I did. This is part of the American President series by Times Books (www.americanpresidentsseries.com). I will be looking for others in this series since this one has peaked my interest so.

[John Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with several of the other comments. The book is a primer on Johnson, compared to more detailed biographies. If that's what you're looking for, you'll like this book. It's short, easy to read, and hits the important points. If you want all the grizzly details and stories and anecdotes with detailed explanations for everything he did, go to Caro's books or some of the other more lengthier, more detailed biographies.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This concise, highly readable and fascinating biography of LBJ reveals his larger-than-life personality (the good and the bad) and examines how his amazing legacy of domestic legislative accomplishments is forever (and perhaps not entirely fairly) tarnished by the tragedy of Vietnam.

[Carl Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the war in Vietmam and Johnson's roll in. He was a crude and vulgar Texas cowboy who accomplished more in civil rights than anyone since Abraham Lincoln, but the Vietnam war came to define his presidency.

[Kirk Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many hammer this series, but I enjoy them as quick reads & I have been lending them to students, because of that. I believe this one is one of the better ones which I've read. Definitely hit the "human" side of LBJ.