1. Discuss your assessment of the authors thesis. What is he trying to present to the
reader, how is he trying to do so, and why does he believe his perspective is useful to
our understanding of the broader subject? Do you find his approach compelling?
2. The author provides only limited historical background when combined with your
existing knowledge of the 1960s and the Johnson Administration, did you find it
sufficient? Did you think the specific examples given in the early chapters were wellchosen, in that they supported the authors contentions?
3. The sources referenced make clear that there were many factors and forces at work
during 1968. What were these, and do the sources make clear why they were
important? How much can we infer about the big picture from these individual
perspectives?
4. How, if at all, does the inclusion of photographs from the period support the authors
approach?
5. Based on what youve read so far, what do you expect from the rest of the book? Did
the first few chapters provide a good sense of what the author intends to present later
on, or is it vague or unclear?

1. Consider your understanding of the author’s thesis. In the context of this, think about
the events described in each chapter thus far – how do they support your
understanding of the thesis? What specific details of LBJ’s handling of these events
might be useful in making your assessment of the author’s work?
2. How did LBJ’s decision not to seek reelection in 1968 affect his actions after the 31
March speech? Did the lack of need for votes in November alter the way he governed,
or did he continue on mostly as before?
3. How did Johnson handle the assassinations of King and Kennedy in the spring of
1968? How did the public’s views of these two men differ from LBJ’s? Did Johnson’s
public statements and private views differ, and if so, how and why?
4. By the end of the summer, Johnson had faced both domestic and foreign crises, some
of his own making. How did his approach to situations he helped to create (Vietnam,
the Fortas affair) differ from those that occurred largely without his influence
(Czechoslovakia, the MLK and RFK assassinations)?

1. How did LBJ handle the events of his last few months in office? Would his actions have
been different earlier in the year? How, if at all, did he change over the course of the
year?
2. Now that you have completed the book, what is your overall assessment? Did your
initial thoughts about the thesis hold up? Did the author achieve his purpose as you
understand it? Did he make a convincing argument in favor of his thesis? What made it
convincing or not?
3. No book review can cover every subject contained in the book being assessed. What
topics were most effective in making the author’s case? Which were less so?
4. Is this a book primarily about the history of 1968, or is it first a time-limited biography of
Lyndon Johnson? What is the relationship between the year and the president? How
does understanding one aspect of this help to understand the other?
5. Viewed from today’s perspective more than fifty years later, how should we view the
last year of Johnson’s presidency? Is our modern view different from the view of people
at the time? Why or why not?
6. To whom would you recommend this book, and why? What are the strong and weak
points of it? What would make it better