The Years of Lyndon JohnsonThe Years of Lyndon Johnson
Score Classic
What it's about
The first volume of Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson covers the poor, harsh Texas Hill Country where he grew up, his college years, his relentless climb through Washington and his first run for the Senate in 1941. Along the way Caro tells how electricity came to the Hill Country and what it meant to the women who had hauled water by hand.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and began the most celebrated political biography in American writing. Caro's real subject is power: how people get it and what they do with it.
You'll love it if you liked
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert OppenheimerGood to know
It's nearly 900 pages and the first of a still-unfinished series. Each volume works on its own. The chapter on electricity is a famous stand-alone.
By the numbers
- Readers98 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics28 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller12 out of 100 · counts 14%
- 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
- #118 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #213 of the 762 classics we rank
- #674 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Robert A. Caro
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Quick answers
Is The Years of Lyndon Johnson worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and began the most celebrated political biography in American writing. It ranks #674 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Years of Lyndon Johnson about?
The first volume of Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson covers the poor, harsh Texas Hill Country where he grew up, his college years, his relentless climb through Washington and his first run for the Senate in 1941. Along the way Caro tells how electricity came to the Hill Country and what it meant to the women who had hauled water by hand.
What should I read after The Years of Lyndon Johnson?
If you liked it, try Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63 by Taylor Branch or American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.