"Beautifully written...a riveting portrait of LBJ... Every officeholder in Washington would profit from reading this book."

--Robert Dallek, Author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 and Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life
“Josh Zeitz’s account is masterful—a revealing, clear-eyed, and accessible look at the complexities of power and progress in Johnson’s presidency.”

-Doris Kearns Goodwin
“A fast-paced and deeply researched portrait of a presidency that shaped modern America.”

-Kirkus Reviews

Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson’s White House

Behind the scenes of LBJ’s ambitious push for civil rights, social reform, and American renewal

In Building the Great Society, Josh Zeitz takes readers deep into the inner workings of President Lyndon Johnson’s administration as it enacted some of the most transformative domestic programs in U.S. history. Through extensive archival research and vivid narrative, Zeitz reveals the people, policies, and politics that powered LBJ’s vision of a more just and equitable America.

From the War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Act to Medicare and federal education funding, the book profiles the architects of reform and shows how an administration wracked by internal conflict and external opposition still managed to implement sweeping change.

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"Beautifully written...a riveting portrait of LBJ... Every officeholder in Washington would profit from reading this book."

“Josh Zeitz’s account is masterful—a revealing, clear-eyed, and accessible look at the complexities of power and progress in Johnson’s presidency.”

“A fast-paced and deeply researched portrait of a presidency that shaped modern America.”

Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson’s White House

Lincoln’s God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation

Lincoln's Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln’s Image