Reviewing Robert Caro's Latest Book: The Absorbing, Shocking, and Puzzling Life of Lyndon Johnson

The wait between Robert Caro's third book on Lyndon Johnson (Master of the Senate) published in 2002 and the fourth volume (The Passage of Power) that appeared in May was too long. However, I will forgive Caro the inconvenience of the delay if he promises to finish his fifth and last volume quickly. It should be a doozy.

Unlike the first three volumes of Caro's biography, in which Johnson's negative personal behavior seemed to overwhelm, or at least greatly detract from, his considerable accomplishments, in the fourth volume Johnson's pitch-perfect performance following the tragedy of the Kennedy assassination dominates the story. For a few months, Johnson showed all of his best qualities and assisted the nation through a difficult time. During this period, his public approval ratings reached 80 percent. He achieved the pinnacle of his career and life.

Though much of the book covers the post-assassination period, it also tells the story of Johnson's initially hesitant quest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1960, when he delayed launching a campaign and underestimated John Kennedy's political abilities. The book then describes the circumstances of his acceptance of the nomination to join the Kennedy ticket as vice president, and it documents in some detail his painful experience as vice president.

In those years before the assassination, from the late 1950's to November 1963, the noble elements of Johnson's character often battled unsuccessfully with his negative attributes. In those situations, Johnson's behavior could range from distasteful to criminal to immoral. It is the clash between the positive and negative attributes of this complex man that makes his biography absorbing and, at times, shocking and puzzling. 

The Passage of Power ends with the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Johnson's call for a War on Poverty. The next volume will cover the 1964 presidential campaign and his full term in office starting in 1965. It is likely to be a brutal one for LBJ's reputation and a page turner for those of us who lived through it.

For a more detailed review of The Passage of Power, see my book review at this link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/97573606/The-Absorbing-Shocking-and-Puzzling-Life-of-Lyndon-Johnson-A-Review-of-THE-PASSAGE-OF-POWER

Review of Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst

Spies of the Balkans

By Alan Furst

Random House, 2010

Costa Zannis is a super competent fixer for the head of the Salonika, Greece police department. He quietly and efficiently gets things done for his boss. He is also a man of extraordinary integrity and courage and action.  

He will need all of his good traits because he will soon be tested.  Salonika, a coastal town on the Aegean Sea, is a short train ride from Bulgaria, Serbia, and Italian-controlled Albania. It is 1940. War-driven chaos is about to break loose in the Balkans and Greece. This town of intrigue is about to be drawn into the furious violence of WWII.

Mussolini has ineffectually attacked Greece in his search of glory; with his failure, the Germans will come next. Neighboring Bulgaria will yield to German demands to become allies, and the Wehrmacht will quickly sweep through Bulgaria and easily fight its way through weak Yugoslavia to reach Greece. Most certainly, the war is coming to Salonika.  

Zannis is a Greek patriot who will help resist the invaders. Before they come, he agrees to help a German woman in Berlin, the Jewish wife of a high ranking army officer, arrange for the transportation of several Jews from Berlin to Salonika, where they will be able to continue to safety in Turkey and other locations. He also assists British intelligence by helping an important scientist escape from Nazi-controlled Paris. The Germans are looking for him.

In this satisfying novel, Furst again creates a rich historical backdrop for events that test his characters, and he captures the atmosphere of people caught up in desperate times beyond their control. The strong plot is amplified by evocative descriptions of a time and place that stir the imagination. This book is not his best, but is good enough to make you want to read it from beginning to end as fast as you can. It seems that Furst, like Costa Zannis, never disappoints.