The Passage of Power

The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to 1964. It is an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both John Kennedy’s 1960 presidential nomination and his decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, and of Johnson’s humiliation and powerlessness in that role.

With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, Caro exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Robert Kennedy, portraying one of America’s great political feuds. For the first time in Caro’s breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson’s eyes, and watch as the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate enables him to grasp the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery and, within weeks, make it wholly his own, surmounting unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the presidency. It is an epic story, displaying all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim The Years of Lyndon Johnson as “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age.”

Endorsements

A New York Times Top Ten Book of 2012

Best Biography of 2012—National Book Critics Circle

A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction

Best Book of the Year—The Boston Globe

Best Book of the Year—Entertainment Weekly

Best Book of the Year—St. Louis Dispatch