by Joshua Zeitz
First published 2018
Joshua Zeitz examines the inner workings of Lyndon Johnson's White House during the 1960s Great Society era. The author focuses on the talented advisers who transformed Johnson's ambitious legislative vision into functioning programs. Zeitz shows how Bill Moyers, Jack Valenti, Joe Califano, Harry McPherson and other staff members implemented sweeping reforms across America. These pragmatic and skilled operatives desegregated institutions across one third of the nation, constructed Medicare and Medicaid systems within a single year, established federal education funding, created food assistance programs, and launched public broadcasting. All of this occurred during a five year period while the Vietnam War drained both credibility and resources from the administration. The book demonstrates how this exceptionally competent White House team served under one of America's most complex presidents to create lasting change in millions of lives and establish a legacy of active government intervention.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, political-drama
Setting: White House
Period: 1960s
400 pages · Hardcover · Viking Pr