Having never read a biography of any of the past presidents I found this book to be extremely interesting. I found it fascinating to watch LBJ throughout his career as a congressmen, senator, and ultimately president. And although the book is titled LBJ and American Liberalism I felt a more appropriate title would have been American Liberalism and LBJ. The main reason for this is the fact that this book is not treated as a biography of one individual; instead it follows the life of one individual to demonstrate America's changing views. .
After reading the book I must say that I admire Lyndon B. Johnson much more. Before he was simply another paragraph in my text book, with little to no stand out qualities. But after having read more about him I realized he possessed many qualities that I have come to expect out of any American President. His sheer determination and focus stood out as amazing attributes. I believe historical figures such as LBJ and other past presidents are sometimes given little credit for their rise to power. LBJ throughout his career played the political game marvelously and demonstrated great leadership qualities. His ability to stay true with own beliefs and not be easily swayed by popular demand amazed me. He seemed to know from the beginning every move he had to make to one day become the President of the United States. .
Although the book is treated much like a biography it also does much more. It follows the path of Johnson to parallel the path of American liberalism. It becomes obvious that these two similar paths are nothing more than a product of the time period. And though the book does follow LBJ's life it solely focuses upon his positive attributes and often leaves out some of the "dirt". For instance during the senate election the book mentions that their may have been foul play on both sides, but does not go into great detail about the scandal.