The Path to Power
Robert A. Caro’s *The Path to Power* launches his definitive biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, tracing the future president’s brutal, relentless ascent from the poverty-stricken Texas Hill Country to Washington’s power corridors. From his rebellious childhood—shaped by his father’s failed political legacy and family hardship—to his awkward, ambitious college years, transformative stints as a rural teacher and congressional secretary, and first victorious bid for Congress, Caro lays bare LBJ’s all-consuming drive for power. Drawing on millions of archival documents and firsthand interviews, the book exposes his ruthless political tactics: manipulating campus elections, leveraging New Deal programs to build rural support, forging lucrative alliances with corporate giants like Brown & Root, and shifting ideological stances to align with those in power. It also unpacks contradictions in his early career—genuine efforts to lift rural Texans out of poverty paired with willingness to bend rules to climb the ladder—setting the stage for his eventual presidency.