Working

From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Power Broker and The Years of Lyndon Johnson: an unprecedented gathering of vivid, candid, deeply revealing recollections about his experiences researching and writing his acclaimed books For the first time in book form, Robert Caro gives us a glimpse into his own life and work in these evocatively written, personal pieces. He describes what it was like to interview the mighty Robert Moses; what it felt like to begin discovering the extent of the political power Moses wielded; the combination of discouragement and exhilaration he felt confronting the vast holdings of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas; his encounters with witnesses, including longtime residents wrenchingly displaced by the construction of Moses' Cross-Bronx Expressway and Lady Bird Johnson acknowledging the beauty and influence of one of LBJ's mistresses. He gratefully remembers how, after years of working in solitude, he found a writers' community at the New York Public Library, and details the ways he goes about planning and composing his books. ;;;; Caro recalls the moments at which he came to understand that he wanted to write not just about the men who wielded power but about the people and the politics that were shaped by that power. And he talks about the importance to him of the writing itself, of how he tries to infuse it with a sense of place and mood to bring characters and situations to life on the page. Taken together, these reminiscences--some previously published, some written expressly for this book--bring into focus the passion, the wry self-deprecation, and the integrity with which this brilliant historian has always approached his work.

“A short book that packs a big wallop . . . Stunningly incisive . . .  James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson is generally considered to be the finest biography in the English language . . . Robert Caro’s monumental works . . . are every bit as impressive as what Boswell achieved. Even more so, actually. . . Caro’s unrelenting pursuit of facts and his insights will leave you in awe . . . After reading this brief, brilliant book, one can only say, ‘Wow!’” —Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine
 
“Caro brings [Johnson] and his time to life with a set of literary strengths that are very different from each other but closely interlinked: the depth and quality of his research, his narrative gift, and his compassion . . . Compassion drives the research. The analysis, always rigorous, is also human . . . Caro is both historian and creative writer; like Tolstoy, relating his narrative to a single central vision while at the same time, in the words of Isaiah Berlin, pursuing ‘many ends, often unrelated and even contradictory.’ He creates character as a novelist does . . . And the roundness of character extends to a large cast, not just Johnson’s huge, domineering personality but other towering figures as well as ordinary American citizens . . . The result is a great biography that has both historical sweep and a feeling of being of the time . . . Long live Robert Caro.” —Kevin Stevens, Dublin Review of Books

“Iridescent, so many brilliant refractions of light from his hard slog of discovering what life has really meant for the people in his narratives, the powerful and the powerless . . . Caro wanted the reader to feel for them, empathize with their ambitions and their torments. At 83, in book after book and now in this semi-memoir, he has succeeded to a breathtaking degree . . . How Caro finds what he needs to know . . . is par for the author’s tenacity, his charm and his investigative genius, no other word for it . . . Nearly 200 years ago, James Madison commanded that a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives. Robert Caro . . . has performed great deeds in that cause, but he has also measurably enriched our lives with his intellectual rigor, his compassion, his openness, his wit and grace.” —Harold Evans, The New York Times Book Review (cover) 
 
“Riveting.” —Richard Lambert, Financial Times
 
“Caro’s work is the gold standard of deep-dive biography; he has become an almost mythic figure, relentless in the ever-elusive pursuit of truth. In Working, he shares tips on researching, interviewing and writing, showcased in wonderful, revealing, often funny anecdotes . . . Its real theme goes far beyond authorial tradecraft. Caro’s own life has been an epic of human endeavor, a tale of obsession . . . Writing truth to power takes time.” —Evan Thomas, The Washington Post
 
“America’s biographer-in-chief . . . charts his own extraordinary life.” —Aryn Braun, The Economist
 
“Priceless.” —Dennis J. McGrath, Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
“Compelling . . . A feast for anyone interested in reading, and in writing . . . A glimpse inside the head, and the work, of one of the great masters of contemporary nonfiction . . . Might be regarded as the path to writing with power.” —David Shribman, Los Angeles Times
 
“An inspiring window into the seemingly superhuman reporting, researching, writing, patience, and above all, will-power that have empowered Caro’s reinvention of the political biography and history genre.” —Scott Detrow, NPR
  
“America’s most honored biographer . . . has paused in the work of the final volume [of The Years of Lyndon Johnson] to publish a conversational, behind-the-scenes compendium addressing the questions he hears most often, starting with, Why do your books take so long to write?” —Karl Vick, Time
 
“Insightful . . . A look at the writing craft from a true master of the form.” —Mackenzie Dawson, The New York Post
 
“An invaluable how-to for aspiring nonfiction writers and journalists. It’s an intimate glimpse into the anxieties and painstaking sacrifices that go into the ridiculously in-depth reporting Caro has made his name on.” —Quinn Myers, Chicago Review of Books
 
“Relevant to today’s readers . . . Reveals a lot about Caro as a storyteller, reveals his thoroughness . . . But it’s not just the research or time that set him apart. It’s his ability to use research to make his story feel personal . . . Caro makes his stories almost novelistic, giving his readers a character to relate to. He recognizes that these details matter, that colorful, seemingly extraneous facts don’t just sentimentalize the story—they deepen it . . . A key to Caro’s philosophy: the facts are crucial, they are necessary, they are the best way to settle competing versions of the truth—but they still aren’t enough . . . This explains why Caro is so good at including outsiders and overlooked voices in his books. Caro’s writing [is] an in-depth look at a complicated subject from multiple angles, all anchored by a human narrative.” —John Schneider, Los Angeles Review of Books
 
“Caro is secure in the modern pantheon of American historians and biographers . . . he has become a symbol of both heroic purpose and snaillike progress . . . Working is full of exemplary tales . . . some of his tricks of the trade.” —Edward Kosner, The Wall Street Journal
 
“Working gives insight into one of the most celebrated minds in American letters.” —Nicole Goodkind, Newsweek
 
“Compelling . . . The quintessential biographer’…