One of âFive Best Books about Wartime PresidentsââMichael Bechloss, The Wall Street Journal
From Lyndon Johnsonâs closest domestic adviser during the White House years comes a book in which âJohnson leaps out of the pages in all his raw and earthy gloryâ (The New York Times Book Review) thatâs been called âa joy to readâ (Stephen Ambrose, The Washington Post Book World). And now, a new introductory essay brings the reader up to date on Johnsonâs impact on America today.
Califano takes us into the Oval Office as the decisions that irrevocably changed the United States were being crafted to create Johnsonâs ambitious Great Society. He shows us LBJâs commitment to economic and social revolution, and his willingness to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. Califano uncorks LBJâs legislative genius and reveals the political guile it took to pass the laws in civil rights, poverty, immigration reform, health, education, environmental protection, consumer protection, the arts, and communications.
President Lyndon Johnson was bigger than lifeâand no one who worked for him or was subjected to the âJohnson treatmentâ ever forgot it. As Johnsonâs âDeputy President of Domestic Affairsâ (The New York Times), Joseph A. Califanoâs unique relationship with the president greatly enriches our understanding of our thirty-sixth president, whose historical significance continues to be felt throughout every corner of America to this day.
A no-holds-barred account of Johnsonâs presidency, The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson is an intimate portrait of a President whose towering ambition for his country and himself reshaped Americaâand ultimately led to his decision to withdraw from the political arena in which he fought so hard.