Outrageous demagogue or charismatic visionary? In this powerful new biography, Richard D. White, Jr., brings Huey Long to life in all his blazing, controversial glory.
From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin’s bullet cut him down in1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatorial control over the state of Louisiana. A man of shameless ambition and ruthless vindictiveness, Huey orchestrated elections, hired and fired thousands at will, and deployed the state militia as his personal police force. And yet, paradoxically, as governor and later as senator, Huey did more good for the state’s poor and uneducated than any politician before or since.
With Kingfish, White has crafted a balanced, lucid, and absolutely spellbinding portrait of the life and times of the most incendiary figure in American politics.
Patrick Cullen's voice is vital and sure, energetic yet objective as he narrates the life of Huey P. Long. The stuff of legend, Long was a governor, a U.S. Senator, and absolute ruler of the state of Louisiana from 1928 until his assassination in 1935. Robert Penn Warren's ALL THE KING'S MEN was inspired by Long. White's biography clearly disapproves of Long's methods to gain and maintain power, but his anecdotal approach to his subject allows listeners to enjoy the brash, often foolish behavior of a tyrant who ruled a constituency that loved him. Cullen wisely does not try to mimic voices. He reads with intelligence, using White's impeccable research to create a lasting portrait of a flamboyant politician. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Richard D. White, Jr. is the Marjorie B. Owens Excellence in Teaching Professor at Louisiana State University and received the LSU College of Business Award. He is the author of Roosevelt the Reformer and a contributor to The International Encyclopedia of Public Policy and Administration. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
