Shelfology Book Pairing

Means of Ascent

by Robert A. Caro

In the second volume, the author reveals some of the more extreme grotesqueries of American politics. For this is the time when Johnson created for himself a much exaggerated record as a war hero, when he and his wife Lady Bird made themselves rich by juggling radio station licences. And it is the time when Johnson fought for - and won, by 87 dubious votes - his first seat in the US Senate, in an election whose c orruption was legendary even by Texas standards.

The Revolutionary Generation (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

by Joseph J. Ellis

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A landmark work of history explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals—Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams, and Madison—confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set the course for our nation. “A splendid book—humane, learned, written with flair and radiant with a calm intelligence and wit.” —The New York Times Book Review The United States was more a fragile hope than a reality in 1790. During the decade that followed, the Founding Fathers—re-examined here as Founding Brothers—combined the ideals of the Declaration of Independence with the content of the Constitution to create the practical workings of our government. Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes—Hamilton and Burr’s deadly duel, Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell Address, Adams’ administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capital, Franklin’s attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery and Madison’s attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams’ famous correspondence—Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation’s history.