A review in The American Historical Review praised the book, which was published around the same time as Lyndon's The Vantage Point, for its insight into the American presidency.[3] Jean Stafford in The New York Review of Books considered the book to have a "lubberly vocabulary" and said Johnson could instead have "stuck to her homey colloquialisms". Stafford thought the book's importance was "questionable" because Johnson didn't go into much detail about the political side of the presidency and included little gossip. Stafford concluded that "It is a harmless book, but it is very long."[1]
James Brady of The Washington Post described the book as "a simply splendid account," stating that "there never has been, and perhaps never will be, such an intimate glance of power in its private moments." He concluded that the work was "extraordinary."
Similarly, a review published in The New York Times offered a favorable assessment, characterizing the book as "intensely personal" and containing "fascinating" details.
Dorothy Rabinowitz, writing for Commentary, referred to the book as "a full, and disturbing, replay of the nation's troubles during Johnson's term as president."
