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Summary: One of the greatest biographies of our time...
Review: This book, published in 1982, has already achieved a legendary status among history and political buffs. When it was released its' author, Robert Caro, won enormous acclaim for his unprecendented research and engrossing writing style - and plenty of criticism for his harsh and unsparing portrait of Lyndon Johnson. Caro literally spent years living and interviewing people in the arid Texas Hill Country where Johnson was born and raised, and in the process he acquired a level of knowledge about his topic that few other biographers even approach. Like William Manchester's "Last Lion" biographies of Winston Churchill, "The Path to Power" is far more than a simple biography of the young Lyndon Johnson's desperate desire to escape the grinding poverty of rural Texas in the 1930's and achieve power in Washington. Caro writes unforgettably of the Johnson family, the culture and history of the Texas Hill Country, the incredibly corrupt political system in Texas at the time, and of how Johnson both brilliantly and cynically manipulated that system for his own purposes. Caro's descriptions of the people in LBJ's life - from his mother to his wife Lady Bird to Sam Rayburn, the Speaker of the House and Johnson's mentor in national politics - are superb and detailed. However, Caro's unsparing portrait of LBJ as a power-obsessed liar and bully who would stop at nothing to succeed greatly offended many of LBJ's associates whom Caro had interviewed, as well as liberal historians who cherished Johnson's activism on Civil Rights and other liberal causes (and who conveniently wanted to forget Johnson's record in Vietnam and elsewhere). Many of Caro's sources have refused to be interviewed for his later books on Johnson, and historians such as Robert Dallek have written their own LBJ biographies in which they specifically single out and criticize Caro's view of Johnson. Yet far from disproving his arguments, the release of once-secret documents about Vietnam, as well as other biographies written over the last 20 years, have only confirmed many of Caro's assertions about Johnson. LBJ's bullying of even his closest aides, his vote-stealing in the 1948 Senate election, his illegal business schemes that allowed him to go from being literally "dirt poor" to a multimillionaire on a government worker's salary, his shameless brown-nosing of powerful politicians, even while he had love affairs with their wives and girlfriends - all of the allegations made by Caro in 1982 have since been confirmed elsewhere. The fact that Lyndon Johnson was a lousy human being shouldn't be blamed on Caro - he simply dug up the facts (much of which Johnson had tried to hide from the public, such as cutting out all the unflattering photos of himself in hundreds of his college's yearbooks)! Yet despite the shocking and disturbing revelations in this book, Caro does seem to have a sneaking admiration for Johnson's unceasing drive and energy - the LBJ who emerges in this book may be unappealing in many ways, yet he also manages to move his beloved Hill Country into the twentieth century with cheap electrical power, good roads and schools, and other modern conveniences which its' residents might never have gotten otherwise. If Caro's thesis is that even the most self-centered and crass politicians can still do some good, then in Lyndon Johnson he has found his perfect subject. And, it's worth noting that while Robert Dallek and others may have criticized Caro's "interpretation" of Lyndon Johnson, not one of his critics has dared to challenge Caro's research or findings. Indeed, many of his critics have shamelessly used Caro's findings to try and support their own agendas. However, given that it was Caro who actually did the interviews and legwork, and given his unprecendented familiarity with Johnson's life, background, and career, it's difficult not to believe that Caro has a much better view of the "real" LBJ than any of his critics. If you're looking for a book that has passages that will stick in your memory for years, and which gives a view of a great American politician's early life which puts all others to shame, then the "Path to Power" will not be a disappointment. Superb!
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book now
Review: When the Washington Post called The Path to Power a book "of radiant excellence...at the summit of historical writing..." it was an understatement. The Path to Power is the most outstanding, compelling, fascinating and meticulously researched book I have ever read. From the Comanche Indians of the Hill Country to Johnson's life as a Cotulla schoolteacher to his complex relationship with the Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, this book delivers. Lyndon Johnson is clearly the most complex, interesting, and powerful politician of our lifetime. This book clearly exposes Johnson's unrivaled ambition to acquire greater power and prestige. Be prepared for one thing: From the moment you begin reading it, you'll be up all night until you've come to the last page. The book moves very quickly with the same fast pace as Lyndon's life. Caro carefully disects each aspect of Lyndon's complex personality. His successes, failures, tantrums, and even his willingness to rig a college election come into play. You might as well buy the next two volumes: Means of Ascent and Master of the Senate. Caro keeps you begging for more. This is the biography that all others must hope to equal.
Rating:
Summary: He Didn't Need A Weatherman...
Review: I never cared for LBJ or his brand of politics when I was growing up, but became somewhat interested in the man and the forces that shaped him after moving to the Texas Hill Country some years ago. So I read an anti-Johnson diatribe disguised as a biography and became even more fascinated by this native son who still arouses passionate feelings of both love and hatred amongst the local folks. Subsequently, I bought the Robert Caro trilogy on the life and times of LBJ, the first of which I review here.
Caro begins The Path to Power by painting a vivid picture of the men and women who first settled the Texas Hill Country and how this land ultimately bent settlers to its will. He does this because the milieu in which Johnson grew up is of supreme importance in understanding the man he came to be.
Johnson's boyhood was one of grinding poverty. He became determined to escape that poverty and to do whatever it took to do so. Early on, he discovered the truth to the old adage that its not what you know but who you know that can ease the path of advancement. And Johnson spared no effort in buttering up the right people while at the same time treating with contempt those whom he was sure would and could never be of any use to him.
His duplicity is the most disturbing aspect of his personality. He is loyal to no one, not even his own father, and shows no compunction about playing the role of Judas when he smells personal advantage in doing so. It was his skill as a reader of men that allowed him to do so time and again without negative consequences to himself.
Though the picture Caro paints is of a Johnson devoid of scruple or principles, he shows also that underneath a conniving exterior, Johnson did care about poor people to some extent as is shown during the time he taught school in Cotulla.
The reader will be spellbound by tales of Johnson's genius on the campaign trail as well as his ability to extract monetary support from wealthy benefactors of all political stripes. At a young age, he climbs rapidly as his political savvy opens doors for him all the way to the White House where he enjoys an influence with the president far beyond what most junior congressmen can ever hope to obtain.
This volume culminates with the story of Johnson's abortive first run for the Senate and subsequent IRS investigation of his campaign's financing that came close to ending his career. Those who know something of Johnson already, particularly the story of him stealing the 1948 Senatorial election will find it ironic that he tried the same thing in the 1940 special election but was stymied when his chief opponent was able to steal more votes than he did.
One of the most fascinating aspects of his political personality is that he really did not need a weatherman to see which way the wind was blowing. He had an instinctive feel for the pulse of the people and was able to parlay his intuition into victories in the political arena.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in LBJ. There is a wealth of well-documented and well-presented information that leaves the reader feeling that he/she has seen into the soul of the book's subject.
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Summary: My Favorite Political Bio
Review: Caro's two-volume biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson is the best political biography I have ever read. I am not a Johnson fan; in fact, my estimation of him is fairly low. So I was not partial to the book or seduced by the subject. What makes this book great is that Caro concentrates on Johnson's rise, a ruthless and calculated "path to power" from LBJ's poor rural Texas roots to the United States Senate. We see how Johnson masterminded every action of his life from high school on, in order to gain influential friends and jump from East Texas to Washington, D.C. Most illuminating are the portions on Johnson's college years, when despite his unpopularity he was able to take over virtually every position of power available to students, and his days as an aide on Capitol Hill, where he first made himself more powerful than the congressman he served.
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Summary: The Best Biography Written
Review: Forget about what your opinion of LBJ is. You still need to read this book. I don't care if you like him, hate him, care nothing for him, or whatever. The way Caro writes a biography is almost breathtaking. Ever wonder what a summer day deep in the Texas Hill country is like? You'll find out in here, and rest assured, it won't put you to sleep. This book is a great introducation to 20th Century Texas politics. The first few chapters hardly mention LBJ as Caro goes back to LBJ's father and discusses his life. For those of you that have read this book and the 1987 sequel, Means of Ascent, you may be wondering why the third volume covering the 1960s hasn't been written. I have it on good authority that the entire LBJ clan -- family, friends, and close advisors -- have made it clear to Caro that he is unwelcome around them. Hatchet job, or sour grapes because of the truth? Well, read the book and find out. But my guess is that Caro's terrific sources have simply dried up, and he isn't going to put his name on something where the quality is less than this book. Unfortunately for him, that might be near impossible. One more thing to the quality of this book: there are about a dozen other LBJ books out there ranging from good to just plain bad. Every one of them without exception use this book as a source. UPDATE: I am extremely happy to be wrong with my guess about Caro's sources drying up. I am looking forward to reading Master of the Senate.
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Summary: He just HAD to be SOMEBODY!
Review: This first volume of Robert Caro's award-winning series is absolutely fascinating, a riveting study of a supernaturally insecure and self-interested, manipulative unprincipled pragmatist. Being from Central Texas, as I child my only knowledge of LBJ involved the fact that my grandparents (from north of the Hill Country) worshipped him. I could see that LBJ talked like us, and wore boots like my relatives, but that was about it. Caro's account of Lyndon's self-promotional antics was unbelievably illuminating -- I immediately could see why so many (and many of them uneducated) folks adored him, and Caro reveals all that was happening behind the scenes. Lyndon's capacity to push himself forward and upward was often nauseating, and it's no wonder he had few true friends because contemporaries could always see beneath his manipulations. However, in adulthood he left all of his contemporaries behind with his patronage of the powerful and dominance of the powerless. The manner in which he treated those around him, those who worked for him, is eye-opening -- he subjugated them completely, demanding total loyalty regardless of his behavior toward them. He treat his own wife like dirt, ordering her around like a servant while conducting an affair practically in her presence. Commentator Molly Ivins, being a yellow-dog member of LBJ's own political party, complained that Caro did not treat Lyndon kindly in this book -- which is simply another way of saying that Caro was extremely honest, open, blunt and fascinating in this fine book. This may be the best biography you ever read (with or without adding the other volumes of the series).
Rating: 
Summary: Long but interesting path
Review: I don't know why LBJ fascinates exactly. Most baby boomers like myself only really know him as JFK's Vice President and as the Vietnam War President. His mastery of the senate let alone his relationship with FDR would be a large unknown to many of us. Still, this book is fascinating if not a bit long. Robert Caro presents a startlingly different picture of LBJ than many would expect. Not especially a handsome man, LBJ thought himself a ladies man and proved it with an affair while still a young man. A teacher because his choice of college was limited due to the financial situation of his family, he became a powerful man in the House of Representatives during FDR's presidency. The path that led him there and the conniving and back room dealing that it took to get him there is quite a story. This first volume in what is now to be a 4 volume set takes him to the end of his time in the House, having just lost a race for the senate seat opened because of death. LBJ's early life is a primer in how to get ahead by flattery and guile. Caro outlines the tactics he used and the people he had to flatter to get to a position of power. Johnson comes across as a somewhat shallow young man looking to do whatever it took to further his best interest. A strained relationship with his father (who doesn't/didn't have one of those at least for a time?), an affair a few years after marrying the shy Lady Bird, and his use of a friendship with House Speaker Sam Rayburn create a portrait of a man whose number one priority is himself. The book is a bit long and even the paperback volume is fairly hefty so this isn't light reading. But Caro does a good job in presenting LBJ's early years almost like a novel which will keep the interest of even someone mildly interested in history in general or Johnson in particular. Worth the effort.
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Summary: Continues Caro's great writings
Review: This book continues Caro's great writings started with the Power Broker. The chapter on Hill Country in this book is perhaps the one greatest non-fiction chapter written in the 20th Century. This is a compelling story about a bigger-than-life man. It's a must read for any student of politics and a great story for all others.
Rating:
Summary: Mandatory reading
Review: Simple. The Robert Caro series should be required reading for any high school graduate.
Rating:
Summary: Caro forges forward --
Review: I said it about "The Power Broker", and my comments hold true to the LBJ series. Robert Caro's biographical works are voluminous, but he is a spellbinding storyteller and consummate historian -- all of which leaves the reader wanting more! The excitement and wonder of his personal journey of discovery is evident to the reader. His thorough and meticulous research (with his bride Ina's able assistance) enables him to weave apparent isolated insignificance into a cohesive study of his subject's psychological formation and its effect upon the subject's gaining and wielding of power. That is not to say reader's won't differ in their ethical interpretations of its use, because you can tell by other reviews that they do.
This same rigorous, precise and professional methodology has been applied to his first three (of four intended) volumes of LBJ's biography - leaving the reader anxiously awaiting the study's capstone volume.
With the wordcraft precision of a Lincoln, historical accuracy of Will & Ariel Durant and the captivating storyline of a Dickens, Caro is, I believe, one of the finest living biographers and superb writer.
So --- don't let volume put you off! Good things may come in small packages -- but -- just occasionally -- GREAT things come in big ones!
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