In Lady Bird Johnson: An Oral History, Michael Gillette skilfully edits forty-seven separate interviews given by the former first lady recorded over a span of eighteen years into a compelling narrative of the Johnson's journey from Texas to the White House. As Gillette makes clear in his introduction, this is not only the story of Lady Bird's life, but of her husband's too. “Their lives were so intertwined,” he observes, “it is impossible to assess one without the other” (5). Those looking for detailed analysis of Congressional or presidential politics will be disappointed, however. Where recent biographies such as those by Robert Caro, Robert Dallek, and Randall Woods have provided rich accounts of LBJ's political manoeuvrings, the strength of this volume is in Lady Bird's observations of their life together, told in her remarkably charming, self-effacing and matter-of-fact style.Footnote ¹ Indeed, of the book's 19 chapters, only one, the last, addresses life in the White House, and readers are advised to consult Johnson's highly detailed A White House Diary for a rich account of that period in her life.Footnote ²

Each of the book's chapters, with titles such as “Nesting and Investing” and “A Senate Wife,” is given a brief introduction by Gillette before Johnson's voice takes over, providing a unique and engaging portrait of the lives of two highly influential people. The book's first few chapters are sprinkled with fascinating details of early twentieth-century America, such as visits with Lady Bird's sensitive and cloying Aunt Effie to the Battle Creek sanatorium where the “ruddy-cheeked, white-haired, and white-moustached” John Harvey Kellogg led calisthenics and “would bicycle around just like fury” (23). Attending university in Austin during the depression, she recounts developing an interest in politics and journalism, and at this point Lyndon enters the story, “direct and dynamic” and proposing marriage on their first date (51).

Mrs. Johnson's descriptions of her husband are often guarded but also occasionally revealing; indeed she is rarely critical of anyone except herself throughout the entire volume. There is, for example, no mention of LBJ's multiple extramarital affairs, but a number of her recollections go some way to explaining her enduring devotion to a man who is often portrayed as abusive and demeaning to all those close to him. That side of her husband occasionally emerges, such as in his regular criticism of her weight, but so too does a man of huge energy and humour who offered his wife constant encouragement to fulfil her potential and play a more active role in political life (371). Furthermore, while accounts of LBJ's legislative battles are brief or nonexistent, she is also able to provide revealing details regarding his personal views and motivations, particularly his sometimes surprising dedication to the civil rights cause, noting, “I did not have the fire inside of me that Lyndon had” (307).

While Johnson's accounts of her “marvellous, contradictory” (370) husband are entertaining, the real appeal of this book is in the narration of her own journey from a shy and lonely child to a powerful political ally who played a prominent role in the 1960 and 1964 presidential elections. Periods of Lady Bird's life that are often skipped over or used as evidence of LBJ's dishonesty in biographies of her husband, such as her role in heading the Johnsons' communications empire and running the Congressional office during World War II, when told in her engaging style become inspiring and endearing stories of personal achievement. As an example, the communications empire that would later be a source of potential embarrassment due to the money it generated, as well as suspicions of favourable treatment by the FCC, began with Lady Bird cleaning a decrepit radio station with “a bucket full of soap and rags” (149). As Johnson becomes a somewhat seasoned, but never cynical, observer of Washington life, it is a genuine pleasure to follow her development into the active and effective First Lady who championed such causes as environmental “beautification” and the Head Start educational programme with such success in her later life.

For anyone hoping for a detailed political history, or a critical and gossipy account of Washington movers and shakers, Lady Bird Johnson: An Oral History will be a disappointment. Readers who are interested in an engaging and deeply personal account of influential people involved in momentous events will find much more to savour.