First published 2015
Lyndon Johnson emerges from these pages through the eyes of Doris Kearns Goodwin, who worked in his White House from 1967 to 1969 and later helped him prepare his memoir. Goodwin traces the 36th president's path from his Texas childhood through his rise in politics, his command of the Senate, and his turbulent presidency. She examines Johnson's domestic achievements alongside his Vietnam struggles, drawing from her personal conversations with the president and her research into his life. The New York Times called this the most penetrating political biography ever written. Goodwin presents Johnson as a complex figure, using firsthand anecdotes and candid exchanges to illuminate both his political genius and his contradictions. This portrait captures a man whose ambitions shaped American history during some of its most dramatic years.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, political-science, american-history
Vibes: historical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-protagonist, political-intrigue
Setting: Texas, United States
Period: 1967-1969
438 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Media