Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973

Robert Dallek's massive two-volume biography of President Lyndon Baines Johnson is a monumental accomplishment of research and insight. This volume, Flawed Giant, picks up with the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Johnson's ascension to the presidency. As in the first volume (Lone Star Rising), Dallek integrates mountains of detail into his narrative without ever overwhelming the reader. Johnson, a wonderfully real human being in Dallek's telling, reveals himself as a tragic, misunderstood, bold man of unlimited concern for the mistreated and underprivileged, yet one whose flaws, as the title suggests, were writ large. I grew up during LBJ's career and fought in what was called Lyndon Johnson's War, Vietnam. Reading this book at show more last clarified for me how we came to be enmired there and why it was so difficult to free ourselves from the conflict. For that illumination alone, I am deeply grateful for this book. But as a gateway for understanding one of our most misunderstood presidents, it is hard to think of a better job of shedding light. Highly recommended. show less

I found this very easy to read. It provides a good history of the Johnson administration and covers a good deal more than policy making on Vietnam - the reason why I was initially interested. Details about the space programme, civil rights legislation and LBJ's relationship with his peers (particularly RFK) are some of the other areas that I enjoyed.

It is said that biographies often have the tendency to either canonise or vilify the subject, but this does neither and appears to be largely objective. It is essentially a political history of the administration with LBJ as the focus.

Read if you seek a better understanding of this fascinating period in US history or the decision making process during the early part of the Vietnam war.

Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1961-1973, by Robert Dallek (read 18 Jun 1998) This is Volume Two of Dallek's two-volume biography. This is an excellent book, though it is not fun to relive the Vietnam era. I certainly can see why I thought as I did during the Vietnam times of LBJ. It is easy now to condemn our being there so long, but it was quagmire and the people for pulling out were few and not attractive. Johnson of course had flaws but I do not reproach myself for supporting him in those tumultuous years. Some of the account as to domestic events in these years was not overly interesting, but the book tells the whole period well, and I think it is a good book.

I finished Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1961 - 1973 by Robert Dallek. I have but haven't yet read the first 3 volumes of Robert Caro, who I know is considered the standard and while that is probably true, Robert Dallek's 2 volume history of Lyndon Baines Johnson is outstanding and a 5 * read. The first volume deals with his childhood, his times as a young administrator of a youth program under F.D.R L., his time as a Congressional Aid, his time as a Congressman through his time in the Senate including his time as Majority leader through his time as Vice President under John Kennedy and his elevation to the Presidency after the assassination of Kennedy.

Volume 2 deals with his term as President his election to his own term show more as President and his domestic accomplishments including his passage of legislation dealing with The Great Society and Civil Rights legislation his foreign policy largely concerning the continuing escalation of the Vietnam War and his attempts to find a way to win and exit the war all unsuccessfully.

These 2 volumes are outstanding and I definitely recommend both. show less