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Like other outsize figures of twentieth century American politics, Lyndon Johnson defies easy understanding. An unrivaled master of vote swapping, back-room deals, and election-day skullduggery, he represented a continuation of the New Deal with its commitment to the poor and underprivileged. With aides and colleagues, he could be overbearing, crude, and vindictive, b... More

Like other outsize figures of twentieth century American politics, Lyndon Johnson defies easy understanding. An unrivaled master of vote swapping, back-room deals, and election-day skullduggery, he represented a continuation of the New Deal with its commitment to the poor and underprivileged. With aides and colleagues, he could be overbearing, crude, and vindictive, but at other times he was shy, sophisticated, and magnanimous. Johnson was also a representative figure. His career speaks volumes about American politics, foreign policy, and business in the forty years after 1930. In LONE STAR RISING, Dallek examines this fascinating "sinner and saint," offering a brilliant, balanced and definitive portrait of a remarkable American politician. He pays full due to Johnson's failings, but he also illuminates his brilliance.