New York Times, deftly
seduces the reader into
his relentlessly fretful,
sweaty-palmed life with
self-deprecating humor
and a robust knowledge
of malaise’s history. The
story of how Smith lost
his virginity, one major
catalyst for his anxiety,
is uncomfortably honest,
and falls into such a gray
category of what defi nes
consensual sex that even
Dan Savage would think
twice before doling out
advice. Smith also describes the oft-ignored physical
effects of anxiety — for him, it’s the feeling of an icicle
piercing his chest, sweaty palms, gnawing his fi ngertips to
a pulp — with such acuity that it paints a better picture than
most mental health professionals ever could.
Unfortunately, the book loses its momentum by the
halfway point. OK, we get it, an anxious life can be an
inexhaustible cycle of torture and relief, but at some point
we want to know, Mr. Smith, what are you going to do
about it? There is plenty of anecdotal exploration of anxiety,
but fairly few examples of how he manages it and leads a
healthy and productive life — which he clearly does.
For those who live or know someone who lives with
anxiety, this is a great crash course about the disorder’s daily
struggles, but for those looking for a meatier discussion
of one the world’s oldest ailments and its treatment, keep
looking. — Alex Notman
The Passage of Power:
The Years of Lyndon Johnson
By Robert Caro. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. $35.
If it’s possible that Barack Obama has not read all 712
pages of Robert Caro’s fourth volume on Lyndon Johnson,
we humbly suggest that he do so over the holidays.
Not that this president should or could emulate Johnson
in every way, but he does need to employ plain old arm-
twisting and amassing of political debt with some of
the relentless brilliance that LBJ showed. This, the fourth
in Caro’s amazing series, The Years of Lyndon Johnson,
covers only 1958 to 1964, but those years are a textbook in
the use of political power.
The most fascinating example came after Kennedy’s as-
sassination when Johnson fl ew back to D.C. from Dallas,
instantly working at his fi erce pace cementing power he had
lost in his miserable vice-presidential years. Caro describes
in great detail how LBJ
eventually passed legis-
lation probably stronger
than anything Kennedy
and his Ivy Leaguers
could have done. How
ironic that the hick from
Texas, so scorned espe-
cially by Robert Kenne-
dy, achieved so much in
his presidency derived
out of the death of John
F. Kennedy.
Johnson’s use of
power was not always
pretty, to understate it,
and sometimes agoniz-
ingly timed. Caro tells
how he waited too long before entering the presidential pri-
mary against young Jack, and most tragically, how he could
not muster the personal and political will to extricate the
U.S. from Vietnam. Johnson’s Vietnam years will be the
subject of Caro’s fi fth book in the series, a volume we’re
eager to read.
If you love history, politics, biography and want to share
his joy of piecing together puzzles of freshly discovered detail,
Robert Caro’s latest treasure is for you. — Anita Johnson
U O D U C K S TO R E
literary duck
2012 BEST SELLERS
k Tough By Nature: Portraits of Cowgirls
and Ranch Women of the American West
By Lynda Lanker. OSU Press, $39.95.
Hunger Games Trilogy
By Suzanne Collins. Scholastic, $53.97.
k UO Ducks Cookbook
By C.J. Giff ord. Gibbs Smith, $14.99.
Shades of Grey Trilogy
By E.L. James. Random House, $47.85.
k It Never Rains at Autzen Stadium: The
Don Essig Story
By Chuck Wenstrom, $19.95.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacifi c
Crest Trail
By Cheryl Strayed. Random House, $25.95.
(Reviewed this issue)
When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four
Variations on Voice
By Terry Tempest Williams, MacMillan, $23.
It Never Rains at Autzen Stadium
By Kenny Moore. MacMillan, $27.99.
Game of Thrones (series)
By George R.R. Martin. Random House, $17
(each).
Bossypants
By Tina Fey. Hachette, $26.99.
Elaine
Tall Boot
$
139 97
Reg. $195
Sizes 36-43
Color: Black
Sarah
Tall Boot
$
129 97 Reg. $195
Sizes 37-42
Colors: Black, Peanut
the
perfect
gift
All Women’s
Boots On Sale
through December 22
100% satisfaction forever guarantee
a world of comfort
541-683-4115
TOLL FREE: 1-877-683-4115
16 Oakway Center
eugeneweekly.com • December 13, 2012
17