The Passage of Power
Score Modern
What it's about
The fourth volume of Robert Caro's life of Lyndon Johnson covers 1958 to 1964. Johnson trades the enormous power he built as Senate Majority Leader for the humiliating powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that distrusted him, until an assassin's bullet makes him President. Caro's account of the Kennedy assassination and the days after, and of how Johnson took command and pushed civil rights forward, is among the most gripping writing about power in American history.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was a National Book Award finalist, reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and is on the New York Times' list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.
You'll love it if you liked
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, Master of the Senate or Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Good to know
You can read it on its own, though it's richer after the earlier volumes. It's long, but it reads like a thriller in places, especially the chapters on November 1963.
Quick answers
Is The Passage of Power worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was a National Book Award finalist, reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and is on the New York Times' list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. It ranks #33 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 90.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Passage of Power about?
The fourth volume of Robert Caro's life of Lyndon Johnson covers 1958 to 1964. Johnson trades the enormous power he built as Senate Majority Leader for the humiliating powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that distrusted him, until an assassin's bullet makes him President. Caro's account of the Kennedy assassination and the days after, and of how Johnson took command and pushed civil rights forward, is among the most gripping writing about power in American history.
How long does it take to read The Passage of Power?
About 19 hours (769 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Passage of Power won?
NBCC Award (Biography) winner (2012).
What should I read after The Passage of Power?
If you liked it, try The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro, Master of the Senate by Robert Caro or Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
By the numbers
- Readers96 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics85 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller49 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
NBCC Award (Biography) winner (2012). On the NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list.
Where it ranks
- #2 of the 44 politics books we rank
- #6 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #17 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #33 of the 2,819 books we rank
Won
- NBCC Award (Biography) winner (2012)
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (2 weeks at #1)
Shortlisted
- National Book Award (Nonfiction) finalist (2012)
On the lists
- NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Reads as
True story
More by Robert A. Caro
The Years of Lyndon JohnsonIf you like this, read next
When Breath Becomes Air
A Promised Land
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
How to Be an Antiracist
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