The Making of the President 1968

Theodore H. White's The Making of the President 1968 chronicles one of the most tumultuous presidential campaigns in American history. The book follows the major candidates and events throughout the election cycle, from the primaries through the general election. White embedded himself with the campaigns of Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, Robert Kennedy, and Eugene McCarthy to capture the behind-the-scenes dynamics of their operations. The narrative moves between intimate portraits of the candidates and broader coverage of the social upheaval that defined 1968, including the Vietnam War protests, civil rights movement, and urban unrest. The book combines on-the-ground reporting with analysis of campaign strategy, voter demographics, and the evolving American political landscape. White's access to key figures and presence at pivotal moments allows him to reconstruct the decision-making and turning points of the campaign. White's account reveals how presidential campaigns both shape and reflect the broader currents of American society, serving as a lens through which to examine a nation in transition. The events of 1968 marked a shift in how presidential campaigns would be conducted in the modern era.

Readers see this as the weakest entry in White's "Making of the President" series, while still valuing its historical insights and reporting on the 1968 campaign. Readers appreciated: - Detailed coverage of the Democratic convention chaos - Analysis of George Wallace's third-party impact - Behind-the-scenes accounts of Nixon's campaign strategy - White's access to key political figures Common criticisms: - Less engaging narrative compared to White's other books - Too sympathetic to Nixon - Lacks the depth of reporting found in his 1960 volume - Some sections feel rushed or incomplete Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (276 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (41 ratings) Reader quote: "White captures the intensity of that pivotal year but seems overwhelmed by the multiple storylines - the assassinations, Vietnam, riots, and campaigns. The book reads more like a collection of dispatches than his usual cohesive narrative." - Goodreads reviewer

The Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse A chronicle of journalists covering the 1972 presidential campaign reveals the inner workings of campaign press coverage and political media.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson Thompson's firsthand account of the 1972 presidential campaign combines political reporting with cultural observations of an era in transformation.

What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer This examination of the 1988 presidential campaign follows six candidates through the political process while exposing the demands of running for president.

Game Change by John Heilemann, Mark Halperin The narrative tracks the major players and behind-the-scenes events of the 2008 presidential campaign from the primaries through election night.

An American Melodrama: The Presidential Campaign of 1968 by Lewis Chester, Godfrey Hodgson, and Bruce Page Three British journalists present the 1968 campaign through a parallel lens to White's work, offering an outside perspective on American electoral politics.

🗳️ President Lyndon Johnson was so impressed with White's previous books in the series that he gave the author unprecedented access to the White House, only to shock everyone by announcing he wouldn't seek re-election in 1968. 📚 The book won the National Book Award in 1970, making Theodore White the first author to win the award twice for books in the same series (he also won for The Making of the President 1960). 🎥 The book vividly captures the chaos of 1968, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the Democratic Convention riots in Chicago, and the rise of George Wallace's third-party campaign. ✍️ White pioneered a new form of political journalism with this series, combining insider access with novelistic storytelling techniques that influenced generations of political writers. 🏛️ The author's detailed account of Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy" became required reading for political strategists and is still studied in political science courses today as a turning point in American electoral politics.