A Glimpse Inside the Writer-Editor Relationship

Continued from page 14 of Northampton, said that she attended the screening because she has read three of the Lyndon B. Johnson biographies and “The Power Broker.”

“I love their work,” she said. “I think it's amazing.” She grew up on Long Island, which Robert Moses’ infrastructure projects transformed: “‘The Power Broker’ is my life,” she said. She called the film “incredible,” and said that she was especially happy to see members of the younger generation in the audience.

“If there’s hope, it’s in [the younger] generation,” she said.

In discussing his work during “Turn Every Page,” Caro seemed to express a similar sentiment. He said that he writes biographies not just to highlight the lives of indi- viduals, but to serve as reminders to younger generations that the power of government can be wielded to address massive challenges.

Caro’s challenge, for the moment, is to finish the highly-anticipated fifth volume of his Lyndon B. Johnson biography. He is approaching his 90s. Robert Gottlieb is already there. In the documentary, both men candidly discussed the possibility that they die before the book is completed.

At one point in the film, Conan O’Brien suggests in an interview that what Caro has already produced would be enough — but Caro is clearly determined to complete his task.

In her interview with The Student, Lizzie Gottlieb, for her part, said she was confident that he would finish.