Not Folk Music----Robert Caro's Latest Book

Not really book review time since who made me the maven of books other than myself.  The average reader.  Just a few thoughts about part of what I have, so far, read in Rob’t Caro’s great and epic new tome about LBJ.  The book is truly a “page turner” ---all 600 or so of them.  

Besides the focus, as the title implies, as the title implies, it also goes into great detail about incidents, issues, and events leading up to “the passage of power”.

At this point one thing just leaped out at me.   Robert Kennedy.   All that research done by Caro does bring much minutiae into focus.  While one has to truly admire his idealism and all his other virtues (whatever they may be) one thing always eluded me.  RFK’s position on McCarthy’s (Joe) committee.  So well explained here as is his truly honest belief in this demagogue.  Another thing so well told is his utter devotion to his father and his utter hatred of anyone who might criticize this (my words now) megalomaniac.

I had always thought that his appointment to that committee was a fluke and he would have disowned it.  Wrong.  He wanted to head it but Roy Cohn (of infamous note) could or would not be ousted.  According to Robert Caro and his reliable sources.

RFK’s vicious hatred of Hoffa and his vendetta regarding him ( all in the book) is fascinating and also enlightening about his persona.

While it is true that in later years I, as many others, saw this knight in shining armor even those knights have something that one has to wonder about.  

Reading this book one has to honestly respect JFK .  LBJ had flaws and so did JFK.  We all do. But, JFK’s were of a personal nature  and LBJ’s were more of a political bent.  

This is not a review, as said.  I do, however, urge you to read this most readable book (as all his books have been—going back to Robert Moses). It truly surpasses most thrillers of the day.

An aside now---Perhaps  I should not have given up doing Tabletalk --some great conversations with people (authors) of real interest.