Robert A. Caro

The Years of Lyndon Johnson

Melody Izard

It's not just about LBJ - although it certainly IS about him.

It's about power. People who love it, are determined to get it, and how they stomp along their journey to achieve their goals.

Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many soldiers died today? That's how I knew him. This book doesn't even take us up to that point. No, this first book of the 4 book series just takes us up to 1942. Johnson is unlikable - yet somehow the people like him and give him soooo much money. 

He is the ultimate shape shifting politician - yet he does genuinely seem to champion those people who struggle through life the most.

My biggest question about the dirt poor farmers and their tired, overworked wives - is why oh why, if life was that hard and work was so brutal - in a life where there were no toilets and most people didn't even bother with an outhouse - but just went a few steps in the woods to handle all bodily eliminations - why oh why did they feel that they needed to IRON their clothes? They had to build a fire, heat their heavy, heavy "sad irons", and use overworked muscles to iron those pre-wrinkle treated fabrics - all so their husbands would have a smooth wrinkle-free shirt and pants to farm in? But I do tend to get caught up in the minutia.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson Ill

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