Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream

Doris Kearns Goodwin does it again! She has the unique ability to make whatever she writes about fascinating. I was able to learn many more things about LBJ and his life than I already knew. Gave me a new appreciation for the man.

perhaps because this was her first book it wasnt nearly as engaging as Lincoln, the two Roosevelt books. Those three books were captivating, the Johnson biography was too detailed ... and to me, focused on the wrong details.

Great biographic of president who new how to get things done domestically by effectively working across party lines. Tragically, Vietnam pulled him into the swamp. However, we sure could use his skills today.

I love anything Doris Kearns Goodwin writes. I didn't know very much about LBJ but because she wrote the book I want read it. She is very detailed in her writing so if you like that you will enjoy this book.

I chose " Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream" for a political book club discussion in preference to "Master of the Senate," by Robert A. Caro which other members favored. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a skilled biographer and this early work profiling Lyndon Baines Johnson is meticulous in its detail. Goodwin's long ranging personal access to Johnson afforded her an in depth look at the American president who coined the term, "The Great Society." Goodwin went on to become a respected biographer of other presidents, reaching a high point with "Team of Rivals." I read the latter first, was a little disappointed at not being as deeply engaged in the LBJ biography. She really achieved maturity in her writing skills with her tribute to Lincoln. Still, the Johnson book is an excellent retrospective of some key years and issues of the years following the death of JFK and the tragedy of the war in Vietnam.

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As always, Goodwin writes with wit , great insights, and historical correctness.
Lyndon Johnson is portrayed as fully human by someone who knew him for four decades from outside the political sphere.

You will never regret reading anything by Doris Kearns Godwin, and this book about LBJ is one of her finer works. She had unprecedented access to him for decades and is a very trustworthy source for facts. Great read. Great writer.

I've always admired the major accomplishments of this President. One can be critical of his character flaws, but he worked for we the people and wasn't afraid to show it. Highly recommend this piece of history and TU Doris author for telling the story so well.

So proud, as a Lincolnland (Illinois) native to find out that The Doris tackled one of my heros before she undertook a Team of Rivals. Can't wait to start this book, since thrilled to know it exists. It wiil be fair.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Johnson is not a lengthy tome, and it covers the life of one of the most interesting, practical, effective, troubled and troubling figures in American politics sometimes in too cursory a fashion. Anyone who has read what Caro has written (so far!) in his multi-volume biography of Johnson will naturally wonder how some critical events are almost completely absent from this biography, and others get only the slightest attention. But you can't be brief without cutting. Prof. Goodwin's insights into Johnson's character seem a little shallow compared to Caro's--sometimes, they sound a little too much like Johnson's own rationales. On the other hand, the book's rather positive tone on its subject is a worthwhile contrast to Caro's strongly critical take, and there must have been much to the charm, humor, and charisma of Johnson which is absent from Caro but reflects better here. Finally, in the absence of Johnson's years as vice president and president from Caro's epic--can I wait another ten years?--Goodwin's strong focus on those years is very useful. Of course she is an excellent writer and the book is a fun read; her understanding of the mechanics of the executive branch and the presidency's interaction with Congress benefits very likely from her close association with Johnson, and provides much illumination into how government can be utilized in the hands of a powerful, determined, energetic, and strong-willed leader. For anyone interested in Johnson, the successes and failures of the era, or the history of American government, it's a must-have and it is certainly an excellent, enjoyable read.

The first half has a lot of good information & is an interesting coverage of Johnson's character & career. I found the second half to be redundant & too much psycho analysis. Well written.

I was in college during the Johnson administration and clearly remember the turbulence of the times. The Great Society was an effort Americans were proud to be a part of. The civil rights legislation of the time was a tremendous accomplishment. The Vietnam War tore the country apart. Doris Kearns Goodwin writes LBJ's story as she heard and lived it.

Although some of the psychology is a bit dated, Goodwin's book gives insight into the strange world of Johnson. One of the best explanations of his Vietnam actions I have seen... She manages to be critical without being cruel.

I was in college during the Johnson administration and clearly remember the turbulence of the times. The Great Society was an effort Americans were proud to be a part of. The civil rights legislation of the time was a tremendous accomplishment. The Vietnam War tore the country apart. Doris Kearns Goodwin writes LBJ's story as she heard and lived it.

Although some of the psychology is a bit dated, Goodwin's book gives insight into the strange world of Johnson. One of the best explanations of his Vietnam actions I have seen... She manages to be critical without being cruel.

I have incredible respect for Doris Kearns Goodwin as an author and a historian. She had unbelievable access to Lyndon Johnson throughout his life. Anyone who enjoys political biographies will be more than satisfied with this book at so many levels. It is a must read.

"Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream," by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is an excellent biography and history of the rise to power and fall of Lyndon Johnson and the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson {LBJ] (1963-1969). Goodwin had direct access to Johnson during his lifetime and tenure as president, so this is history in real-time. Goodwin focuses on the man and the psychological underpinnings that created LBJ the man, the politician, the President. She is able to trace the impact that his mother and father had upon his inner self: what gave him his values; what made him so empathetic to the poor, the "blacks," and the disadvantaged; how he honed his leadership and manipulative skills with each stage of his career. We see how great leaders -- or at least this great leader, LBJ, developed into one of the Nation's most influential legislative presidents (akin to a Franklin D. Roosevelt) and threw much of it away with his missteps over Vietnam. A book definitely worth reading!