Reaching for Glory

Lyndon Johnson's Secret White House Tapes, 1964-1965

Reaching for Glory lets us eavesdrop on LBJ's private, often tortured thoughts during the most crucial year of his presidency -- when his dreams of being hailed as the equal of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt were destroyed by the war in Vietnam.
As Reaching for Glory opens, LBJ is campaigning for the greatest presidential landslide in history. To win, he hands embarrassing secrets about Barry Goldwater to friendly reporters. When Johnson's closest aide is arrested in a sex scandal, he tries to keep it from exploding before the election.
This audiobook reveals the secret history of how Lyndon Johnson took us step by step, often by stealth, into Vietnam. While publicly boasting that there will be victory in Vietnam, he privately worries that the war can never be won and that it will crush his presidency. He foresees the backlash against the war, civil rights, and the Great Society that will bring Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to power.
Reaching for Glory lets us hear LBJ's private telephone conversations with Jacqueline Kennedy just after her husband's assassination. It allows us to live at Lyndon Johnson's side, day by day, through the dramatic, triumphant, catastrophic, and pivotal year of a turbulent presidency that continues to affect all of our lives.©2001 Michael R. Beschloss, Alll Rights Reserved; (P)2001 Simon & Schuster Inc., AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

The other reviewers are right!

A pretty fascinating listen if you're historically inclined. I wish we could hear similar recordings of other presidents! It really makes you seem them (and the job!) in a different light.

Amazing. Real tapes from the White House.

I really liked the book I finished it in two sittings in like under 10 hours lol. I’d definitely recommend it. Not a lot of editorializing

Interesting slice of history! An Audio treat

If you want the intimate details that can only come from listening in on recorded telephone conversations and the audio journal of Ladybird J, this can't be beat. I found that it was especially rich in audio, and it never would work as well just to read the book. It is a bit slow at times, and kind of meanders a bit, but in all, a worthy way to experience that time more intimately.

Eavesdropping on Presidential History

The recordings aren’t always good quality but still a treat to hear some of the great figures in History conduct private business. Well coordinated narratives by the author. Question for Audible? When will volumes 1 and 3 be available? Please expedite!

amazing

great stuff - any history buff will love this. Can we get Vol 1 and 3 also?