Lyndon Baines Johnson Books

Though Kotz is writing about oft-covered material, this book comes across as a fresh and vital examination of the relationship of two of the most important figures of the previous century. He spends a lot of time going over well known facts but also highlights the personalities of these two men. The portraits that emerge are quite interesting. MLK comes across as a man committed to change and--despite minor flaws--as the hero he was.

More surprising is Kotz take on LBJ, who comes across as equally committed to change and righting wrongs. Kotz argues that LBJ always displayed a commitment to improving the lot of the poor. Though he does not explain LBJ's early votes against civil rights, he argues that his eventual support of major civil rights legislation had its roots in his desire to help the disadvantaged, like those he grew up with in the Hill Country of Texas.

While stressing that both men were brilliant leaders, Kotz does not shy away from their flaws--of which LBJ had many. Most interesting is his take that both hoped to accomplish significantly more in the realm of abolishing poverty when their efforts were cut short--LBJ's by the morass of Vietnam and MLK's by a bullet. Ultimately this was a great read and should serve to hold those readers over who are eagerly awaiting the years-away release of Robert Caro's next LBJ volume.

Author Nick Kotz brings out the personalities of the heavy hitters of the 1960's, especially President Lyndon Johnson and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. The book begins with the assassination of President Kennedy as Lyndon Johnson is then thrust into the presidency. Determined to carry out Kennedy's programs Johnson achieves initial success with his Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Equal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The author does a wonderful job characterizing Johnson's ability to give others the "Johnson treatment" in convincing them to go along with his programs. He has to deal with, not only conservative Democratic politicians determined to keep segregation permanent, but with diverse personalities such as Bobby Kennedy who felt Johnson was trying to "take over" too fast following his brother's assassination, F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover who kept voluminous files on those he may need to blackmail at some time in the future, and Martin Luther King, Jr. who wanted to achieve equal rights through nonviolence. King realized, however, that he needed to wake up the country by having them see the physical violence his marchers were subjected to in the South. Vietnam put the kibosh on Johnson's Great Society program and War on Poverty to such an extent that he chose not to run for a second term in that horrendous year of 1968 which saw both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated, the Vietnam was spiraled out of control, cities continued to burn in rioting as they had in 1967, and Richard Nixon went on to become the next president. Whether you lived through these years or not they were historic times and this book is required reading for those wanting to learn about this period in history.

A few more pieces to the civil rights movement,very well written. there was new stuff here along with insight and some behind the story things I really liked. You should enjoy this one.

No need to be interested in Civil Rights to enjoy this book. If you aren't hooked after the first chapter, no need to continue.

Before reading this book my interest in the Civil Rights Era was probably at best a 4 on a scale of 1-10. After reading a few pages, I was instantly hooked. "Judgment Days" is easily one of the best-written books I've read in the last year (possibly only surpassed by "John Adams"). Nick Kotz does a wonderful job at making history read like a novel and despite the fact that someone completely unfamiliar with American history would still possess some basic knowledge of the subject matter: most Civil Rights legislation is passed, Vietnam is a quagmire, MLK is shot - I found myself unable to put this book down. Upon reading this book, I have a new-found respect for LBJ, view MLK in a different light, and my disdain for J. Edgar Hoover is even greater. This book should be a mandatory read for most US History and Civics classes. The struggle of the Civil Rights Era is only a generation removed for most of America's youth - yet is viewed as distant history. What MLK and others endured to ensure that the American Dream is possible for anyone provided that they want it, is eye opening (to say the least). The author does a great job of revealing how in the "land of the free" you were only truly free as long as your skin wasn't black. Nick Kotz deserves the Pulitzer for this book and it's also an excellent tie in to "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate" by Robert A. Caro.

Once while visiting Alaska with my family, we saw coming out of a bar a young woman in a peasant blouse who was extremely well endowed above her waist. Later, I asked my five-year-old son what he thought about the woman. "Dad," he said, "those things were so big my little eyes couldn't even see them all."
Lyndon Johnson also was so big most eyes could not see all of him. But, Marvin Watson had as close a look as anyone outside Lady Bird and the girls.
But therein may be the only problem with this story -- discretion in telling all as long as Lady Bird is alive. Had I been in Watson's position, I also would not want to reveal what many would relish in a true tell all.
Nevertheless, you'll get your money's worth for the time Watson faithfully served his big boss in the power center of the world.

Who would have thought there's such a thing as a book on politics you can't put down? Marvin Watson's Chief of Staff is quite simply one of the best two or three nonfiction books I've read this millennium. Fascinating from start to finish, the book makes presidential politics come alive, vivid even for the politically uninitiated.

While considering this book I found a book review by American Studies Today Online, so I have posted it at the bottom of this review. I thought it was appropriate.

"Book Review: Guns or Butter: the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson by Irving Bernstein.

"Warfare, rioting, assassinations: mayhem continues to be the dominant image of America in the mid-1960s, with Lyndon Johnson presiding. This book is intended to redress an 'unfair balance' in the treatment of the man and his time in office, which has skewed our perception almost exclusively to what went wrong.

"The tragedy of Lyndon Johnson's presidency, according to the author of this new political biography, was that Johnson believed that he could have both guns and butter - that his vision of the United States as a 'great society' could be fulfilled alongside the waging of war in southeast Asia. It was to be a tragedy of epic proportions.

"In the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, and especially after the Democrats' landslide victory in the presidential election a year later, Johnson set about the task of continuing and extending his predecessor's liberal reform programme. Legislative achievements included the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, and a series of progressive measures relating to immigration, education and conservation. Together they constituted a new 'New Deal': FDR was LBJ's political hero.

"With rapid economic growth in the mid-1960s, the Democrats could have looked forward to a lengthy stay in office during which Johnson's vision of the 'great society' might have been made still more a reality. But his decision to engage US military forces in the long-running conflict in Vietnam changed everything.

"Bernstein has produced a very readable narrative of the domestic triumphs and foreign travails of the Johnson administration, richly documented from the archives of the LBJ presidential library in Austin, Texas. His book gives fascinating insights into the American political process, and into Johnson's complex personality.

"Despite the author' s hope to rehabilitate LBJ's reputation by focussing on the domestic accomplishments, it is the descent into the quagmire of Vietnam that comes to dominate his account. The style of writing is often vivid, sometimes colloquial, always lucid. There are useful historical backgrounds given to all the issues under discussion, and brief biographical sketches of the principal policy-makers in the Johnson administration. The book is generously illustrated, and is a storehouse of material from which teachers and students can draw readily for a better understanding of those dramatic years of American hope and despair, dream and nightmare, over which LBJ presided."

American Studies Today Online

I've read this book twice and each time my admiration grows. Bernstein has written a book that accurately assesses what went right with Johnson's presidency. Johnson, on domestic policy, rivaled FDR in brilliance. Although Bernstein's goal is to show us the "forgotten" LBJ, he doesn't shrink from showing us how badly he failed when it came to the Vietnam War. This book contained lots of information but it never got bogged down in the details.

Absolutely the most brillant piece of histo-drama ever written on the political affairs of men and their madness.

Absolutely the most brillant piece of histo-drama ever written on the political affairs of men and their madness.

Nancy Colbert's Great Society: Story Of Lyndon Baines Johnson chronicles the achievements of Johnson during his years as President. From his ending of legal racial discrimination and his war on poverty to the escalation of Vietnam under his hand, this presents a multifaceted, varied look at the president's times and decisions.

Very often the American public has tended to view Lyndon Johnosn as the evil villian who escalated America's involvement in the warr in Vietnam. However, few people, including historians, know how the escalation came about. In this book Brian VanDeMark does not try to justify the decisions that were made between 1964 and 1968, but tries and explain how those decisions came about. VanDeMark also shows how Johnson slowly and reluctantly led the United States deeper into what has often been called the "quagmire" of Vietnam. VanDeMark balmes the American Policy maker's ignorance of the culture and politics of Southeast Asia for the slow deepening of the conflict. VanDeMark gives teh reader a very good view of how this happened by carrying the reader through almost every major decision made by the Johnson administration throughout this time period. Writen in a very readable style the near day-to-day account helps to emphasize the snowball effect of the events. The author uses a good range of source material for this book. THere is a strong reliance on government manuscripts and primary sources of the administration. He also includes oral histories and interviews. It is by using these sources and many quotations that VanDeMark is able to carry the reader through the day-to-day accounts of what happened. This book is very important for anyone interested in the VIetnam war or American foreign policy.

Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (6/08)

"JFK, LBJ, and the Democratic Party," written by Sean J. Savage, is a fabulous book for people everywhere who want to learn more about what happened in the days of Kennedy and Johnson.

The 1958 election was an affair of rivals and allies. As a country, we were looking for greater support on different issues such as economics, agriculture, education and heath care. This book includes some very extraordinary photos of Kennedy and Johnson, and there are also photos of Robert Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey and many more. I love the photo section and Mr. Savage did the book great justice by including the photos he found during his research.

I think it's very important for the children of today to learn about the elections of the past. Some of the issues discussed can teach students how we have come a long way to our current Presidency, in politics and the White House. The Kennedys were very popular people and even though John F. Kennedy was killed, his legacy lives on and on in the minds of the people of the United States.

Readers of this book will discover details on the elections of the 1960s, and how they relate to the world today. I really appreciate the details in this book and how much I actually learned from it. It is very hard to put into words the gist of this book, so I highly recommend it.

This colorful booklet deals well with its subject matter. The numerous pictures and interesting layout make it more appealing to children.

This booklet covers the Johnson family in Texas. It also shows pictures of Lyndon Johnson's birthplace, childhood home and the school he attended. The LBJ Ranch is pictured and described.

Ms. Warren gives the history of the Hill Country of Central Texas. The Indians, the early German settlers and the cattle drives to Kansas are described by the author.

The future President experienced life in various forms as a child. He listened to his grandfather tell stories of rugged 19th century Texas. Johnson listened to his father talk politics. And his mother would read poetry to him.

For fun he played baseball. For income he shined shoes.

This booklet provides a nice survey of the Texas Hill Country and LBJ's place in it.

Ms. Pycior not only covers a piece of history often overlooked by others, but also brings out many of the unsung heroes of the GI generation that fought along side LBJ for civil rights, voting rights and other issues that opened so many doors for the rest of us.

The author provides great insight and historical perspective into how LBJ's rise to power coincided with the growing civil rights movement in Texas, but reminds readers that despite LBJ's political motives, his legislative agenda -- even in the White House -- came from his own frame of reference -- the poor Mexican-American students he taught in Cotulla, Texas.

Attending the funeral of the late Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez (December 2000), reminded me of another legendary figure of that era. Hooray for Ms. Pycior for helping teach the next generation of students the importance of those giants who opened our doors, our minds and our hearts!

This book provides an excellent selection of black and white photos of Lyndon Johnson from the era of his Presidency. The pictures are roughly chronological. They show the President in the White House, at the LBJ Ranch and with the public. Johnson is photographed with world leaders and American politicians. He is also shown with American soldiers and their families. This book shows the President in various states of work and leisure. In short, Mr. Middleton provides vivid photos of President Johnson in various moments of his Presidency.