Doris Kearns Goodwin

I would give the first few chapters five stars plus. The story of LBJ's childhood, school years, years as a teacher and his work in the National Youth Administration, his courtship and marriage to Lady Bird and his time as a congressional aide were absolutely fascinating. LBJ was a born political force and so incredibly smart and intuitive in reading people. The chapters on his time in the senate, as vice president and his early years as president were equally fascinating. His thought show more process on the Great Society reforms was mind-blowing at times. He was a very complicated man. But the chapters on Vietnam and the end of his presidency were just downright depressing. He lost his way with that war and his justifications became more and more divorced from reality. He went from being a heroic (yet very flawed) figure to being pitiful, paranoid and unable to accept any criticism. It was very sad. I do appreciate that Kearns Goodwin did not equivocate when it came to LBJ's flaws. You can tell that she very much admired him, but she never apologized for his shortcomings and often did a beautiful job of speculating as to his motives and motivations. Very interesting for anyone wanting to know more about LBJ. show less

Any long-married couple winds up with memorabilia stored in their attic or basement. But when that couple is Richard N. Goodwin (1931-2018) and Doris Kearns Goodwin (born 1943), unpacking stored boxes means a walk through American history, complete with state secrets. AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY is nothing less than a front row seat to United States power and politics in the progressive period of the 1960s and 1970s.

This is non-fiction that reads like a novel, compelling from the start. Both show more Richard and Doris played pivotal roles in and around the White House, though at different times, and those they worked alongside reads like a Who's Who of Democratic Party history.

Beginning in the 1950s, Richard shares his formidable brain power with Presidents John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) and later with Presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005), and Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978). Goodwin is deeply involved in the progressive legislation of the era (i.e. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, etc.). And, as a brilliant speechwriter, he penned many of the most poetic and memorable phrases of the era, including The Great Society and the Alliance for Progress.

Doris was a White House Fellow who joined the White House staff in 1967. She witnessed President Johnson's rapidly declining public image as his expansion of the Vietnam War increasingly conflicted with growing opposition to that conflict. After Johnson left office, Doris remained involved as one of a small group of people who assisted the former President in writing his memoirs.

Richard and Doris don't meet each other until 1972 when both occupy nearby offices at Harvard University. Richard was already 40 years old, married and with a child; Doris was single and 29. Following the death of Richard's wife, he and Doris are married in 1975 and spend the next 42 years together.

AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY weaves back and forth between two stories. There is the story of the couple's unique perspective witnessing such important events. But this is also the story of an aging couple going through their stored treasures. In the months before Richard's death in 2018, the two of them spent time together sharing stories, reviewing speeches, talking over, sometimes arguing, about policy and the famous people they worked with and met. Many of those conversations are included. After Richard's death, It became Doris's task to turn this period into an insightful and interesting book. And she does a stellar job.

I especially recommend the book to Baby Boomers who will likely remember many of the historical events relayed in AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY, only here they are supplemented by richer context. Like the role First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy played in expanding arts and culture at the White House, the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the subsequent anger and violence that exploded in many urban areas, and the police brutality associated with the Democratic Convention of 1968 in Chicago.

As for the book's title, I see it as having two meanings. It refers to the unfinished love story between Richard and Doris, cut short by his death. And it refers to Richard's unfinished story as a deeply patriotic man who believes in the promise of this country. A belief that has not yet been fully realized. show less

Fascinating and heartfelt history of the turbulent 1960s as seen through the eyes of bestselling historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her late husband. Dick Goodwin, who died in 2018, had an amazing career as speechwriter/advisor to John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Robert Kennedy (also, briefly, 1968 presidential candidate Edmund Muskie). Dick's contributions informed and promoted JFK's New Frontier and LBJ's Great Society, leading to landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the show more creation of Medicare. A true 20th century liberal (before that word became an anathema to both Right and Left), Goodwin lived his mission to "close the gap between America's ideals and the reality of its citizens' daily lives."

The presidents and candidates come alive, flaws and all, as Dick describes his interactions with them. He had an especially complex relationship with the mercurial LBJ; Goodwin was one of the strongest supporters of Johnson's domestic policies but broke bitterly with him over the president's escalation of the Vietnam war. Doris saw a kinder, gentler side of Johnson late in his tenure during her one-year White House fellowship. As a result, the Goodwin marriage frequently included heated arguments over Johnson's relative accomplishments and legacy (in contrast, most of my marital spats concern dirty dishes left in the sink).

I came away with a better understanding of these iconic men (and Muskie), and by the last page I was in awe of (and slightly in love with) Dick, a unique political strategist and a true mensch. It was always a treat to see Doris on The Colbert Report and other late night news/comedy shows in the early aughts. But it might have been even better to interview this illustrious power couple together. Does the "unfinished love story" refer to America's unfulfilled promises, or Doris losing Dick after 42 years of marriage? I'm not sure which one was the greater tragedy. show less

I come to this amazing book late in the game, after having read [[Dorris Kearns Goodwin]]’s memoir [Wait ‘Til Next Year]. But there are very few current historians writing such well-researched yet accessible books. Honestly, while the text is littered with quotation marks and footnotes, it reads like a novel of political intrigue. For Republicans these days to invoke Lincoln as the father of their party is the worst kind of misdirection. Lincoln was, above all, a kind man, engaged in show more thoughtful governance and willing to do absolutely anything to keep the peace, save the union, and abolish slavery. Some historians pull certain events out of context to shame him for coming to the cause late, but Goodwin makes clear that he was always part of the cause but had his eyes open about how quickly to move the cause. While it wasn’t fast enough or strident enough for some, both at the time and in hindsight, he moved as quickly as he could. And his uncanny sense of timing turns out to be the product of many late nights filled with agonizing work.

Best, most prescient quote for our time from Lincoln, on the nature of his struggle, which is our struggle today –

”I consider the central idea pervading this struggle is the necessity that is upon us, of proving that popular government is not an absurdity. We must settle this question now, whether in a free government the minority have the right to break up the government whenever they choose. If we fail it will go far to prove the incapability of the people to govern themselves.”

5 bones!!!!!
Highly recommended show less