Lyndon B. Johnson

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.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Times Books
Published: 06/08/2010
ISBN: 9780805082395
Pages: 199
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.90w x 1.20d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2010
Booklist 05/01/2010 pg. 69
Library Journal 06/01/2010 pg. 90
Publishers Weekly 07/26/2010
New Yorker (The) 09/06/2010 pg. 83