Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson II

from jensenmk82

Means of Ascent is not quite as compelling as The Path to Power, but this is an irresistible read nevertheless. It's hard not to feel that Coke Stevenson has been idealized as a foil to Johnson, and Johnson disappears a bit as a person toward the end of the volume (though he is very much present ...

from gregorybrown

Amazing. Caro does it again, but with a much more focused entry than the first volume The Path to Power. That earlier entry followed LBJ's childhood, college years, and ascent from congressional aide to congressman to failed senate candidate. Means of Ascent, by contrast, focuses on eight crucial...

from MatthewN

This volume is significantly shorter than the other 2. Perhaps because almost the entire book focuses on LBJ's 1948 run for the senate against Coke Stevenson. There is minimal coverage to his tenure as a congressman and also his short stint in the Navy during WWII. The time in the Navy is rather ...

from James_Knupp

Caro does it again, covering the years between LBJ's first, unsuccessful, run for the Senate, and his second, successful, run. While only covering 6 years, versus the previous volume's 34 years, this one was much more engaging. Caro writes the 1948 Senate primary almost like a thriller novel. Des...

from patience_crabstick

Volume two of the Lyndon Johnson biography covers the years from 1942-1948. Years in which Johnson, frustrated with his seat in the House of Representatives, lusted after a seat in the US senate, and got it, after stealing the election from Coke Stevenson. This is the book that makes you really h...