Means of AscentMeans of Ascent
Score Modern
What it's about
The second volume of Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson covers Johnson's wilderness years, from his defeat in the 1941 Senate race to the 1948 Senate election he won by 87 suspicious votes, earning the nickname "Landslide Lyndon." Caro shows Johnson at his most nakedly ambitious, and contrasts him with his opponent, the honest former governor Coke Stevenson.
Why it's worth reading
It spent two weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's the shortest and most dramatic of Caro's volumes, a gripping account of how an election was stolen.
You'll love it if you liked
Master of the Senate
The Path to Power
The Passage of PowerGood to know
It reads well on its own, though it continues The Path to Power. The 1948 election chapters are the heart of the book.
By the numbers
- Readers98 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #18 of the 44 politics books we rank
- #130 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #378 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #749 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Robert A. Caro
The Passage of Power
The Years of Lyndon JohnsonIf you like this, read next
John Adams
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Profiles in Courage
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
When Breath Becomes Air
Secondhand Time: The Last of the SovietsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Means of Ascent worth reading?
Yes. It spent two weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It ranks #749 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Means of Ascent about?
The second volume of Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson covers Johnson's wilderness years, from his defeat in the 1941 Senate race to the 1948 Senate election he won by 87 suspicious votes, earning the nickname "Landslide Lyndon." Caro shows Johnson at his most nakedly ambitious, and contrasts him with his opponent, the honest former governor Coke Stevenson.
How long does it take to read Means of Ascent?
About 15 hours (592 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Means of Ascent?
If you liked it, try Master of the Senate by Robert Caro, The Path to Power by Robert Caro or The Passage of Power by Robert A. Caro.