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Building the Great Society Inside Lyndon Johnson White House eBook Joshua Zeitz

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Building the Great Society Inside Lyndon Johnson White House eBook Joshua Zeitz

Torn between three stars and four. Three major themes are dealt with in the book. (i) LBJ's efforts to improve the lot of African-Americans and the poor of all races. This is dealt with wonderfully: as a teenager in the UK at the time, I was aware of some of the issues, but I had no idea quite how shocking conditions were for these people. That LBJ faced such a struggle to get his legislation through is a damning indictment of those times. (ii) The behind-the-scenes turf wars and territory grabbing by his team in the White House. I assume this is accurate, but it held little interest for me and I saw little point in it being recorded 50 years later. (iii) LBJ's attitude to Vietnam. This is the reason for only three stars, The coverage is disgracefully superficial. The author gives no real insight into why LBJ continued to prosecute such a futile and unnecessary war.


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Building the Great Society Inside Lyndon Johnson White House eBook Joshua Zeitz Reviews

I received a free copy of  Building the Great Society by Joshua Zeitz courtesy of Net Galley and Penguin Viking the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, , Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I thave read a great deal about the Presidents of the United States. This is the second book by Joshua Zeitz that I have read (Lincoln's Boys).

This book is well written and an easy read. It covers LBJ's ascension to the Presidency, the development and implementation of "The Great Society" and its various programs (Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Medicare, Child Nutrition Programs, expansion of food stamps, etc.) and the downfall of his Presidency due to decisions revolving around the Vietnam War. It also covers his staff responsible for various parts of his goals - Bill Moyer, George Reedy, Joseph Califano and others.

The book is more enjoyable and interesting if you have not read a great deal about the Johnson Presidency. Other works provide greater depth and insights (Robert Caro's series comes to mind), but still is a good refresher of all of the good things that happened during his terms which are often overlooked due to Vietnam.
The presidency of Lyndon Johnson was perhaps the last administration under which Americans trusted government to better the domestic condition of the country, but it was also the first since World War II to lose the public conviction due to the Vietnam War and its escalation. In BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY, the highs and lows of a consequential presidency are covered, along with the characters who willfully fought for a stronger homeland for all Americans.

Taking over swiftly after the traumatic death of John F. Kennedy, President Johnson was a rugged figure with a big-time agenda --- able to work with Congress to push through drastic changes to the everyday American way of life. Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the desegregation of one-third of all public and private American institutions are among the major accomplishments of his legendary, liberal agenda. Most Americans cannot remember the days before these essential benefits many people still require today, but BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY recounts the urgency to institute them during an era when many were left so far behind that they were relegated to the margins of society or completely forgotten.

Johnson intervened socially to create a more evenhanded, considerate union, though his goal was severely undermined by increasing tensions overseas and among his military advisors. Ultimately, it was his decision to intervene in the Vietnam conflict that ended an era of progress and created a distrust of government from which public opinion has never recovered. Vast scandal in the resulting Nixon administration furthered the image that government is the problem rather than the answer it had been for many years since FDR. Johnson lost his political support, public trust and approval, and decided it was unwise to run for a second term as the Democratic Party fractured around him. He is remembered for both his substantial domestic accomplishments and his controversial foreign letdowns.

BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY is enlightening in how it describes starting Medicare and Medicaid from scratch, building them from the ground up within a year. Other achievements yet to be mentioned are a major increase to federal education aid, broad consumer protections, and the establishment of HUD and the Department of Transportation. The book demonstrates how a powerful, efficient executive with broad political support surrounded by a talented, enthusiastic team can yield considerable results. In the present day, it is difficult to pass a single law, not to mention even a temporary budget. This goes to show how politically skilled and underrated Johnson was as president, with a constant passage of landmark legislation.

Author Joshua Zeitz is a contributing editor at Politico magazine and has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic and The New York Times. He covers Johnson with a contemporary voice and an energetic, historical mind. BUILDING THE GREAT SOCIETY is a keen, readable account of constructing liberal legislation that has effectively endured. In days when politicians lurch from one crisis to another, it is comforting to read about an era when Johnson, despite some of his failures, was able to simply get the job done.

Reviewed by John Bentlyewski
Powerful and beautifully written book.
Good book
This is a good behind-the-scenes look at the men who did the dirty work to get LBJ's "Great Society" initiatives passed. It is a "must read" for political junkies of all parties!
LBJ’s aides do not enjoy the popular awareness in the public mind that the staff’s of some other presidents do, e,g., Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton. But they accomplished a tremendous amount in just a few years. Zeitgeist lifts the veil and looks at how much a determined president and capable, worked-to-the-bone staff can accomplish.
This book digs into the inner working of President Johnson's White House. It deals with the personnel and how they handled the domestic issues. It is not a detailed look at the Presidency. The War in Vietnam is a side issue. The same can be said about Congress. Instead, we see how Johnson worked with his aides and how they developed and worked on Great Society legislation. For those of us who libed through this era this book tells us what went on outside of our daily news reports.
Torn between three stars and four. Three major themes are dealt with in the book. (i) LBJ's efforts to improve the lot of African-Americans and the poor of all races. This is dealt with wonderfully as a teenager in the UK at the time, I was aware of some of the issues, but I had no idea quite how shocking conditions were for these people. That LBJ faced such a struggle to get his legislation through is a damning indictment of those times. (ii) The behind-the-scenes turf wars and territory grabbing by his team in the White House. I assume this is accurate, but it held little interest for me and I saw little point in it being recorded 50 years later. (iii) LBJ's attitude to Vietnam. This is the reason for only three stars, The coverage is disgracefully superficial. The author gives no real insight into why LBJ continued to prosecute such a futile and unnecessary war.