Doris Kearns Goodwin

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

Slim but eloquent memoir that made me laugh out loud several times -- and also made me want to cry several other times. Though this is about Goodwin's childhood, this to me felt neither overly nostalgic or melodramatic. She clearly describes not just the warmth of her family and neighborhood ties, but also the greater historical currents of racism, McCarthyism and fear of nuclear war and how they affected even her small-town upbringing. And as a Red Sox fan who's endured lots of ups and show more downs over the years, I completely understand the dynamics of her relationship with the Brooklyn Dodgers! show less

Doris Kearns Goodwin writes here about her husband Richard's and her experiences in the 1960s, focused mostly on Dick's professional life working for JFK, LBJ, and RFK during their campaigns and presidencies. A cool twist is that both Doris and Dick worked for President Johnson, before they met each other, Dick early in his presidency and Doris at the end and afterwards. This is interwoven with the process of going through boxes of memorabilia from that time
during the 2010s, in the last show more years of Dick's life, starting the project that became this book.

And Dick's life in the 60s was amazing! He was a young wonderkind working for Kennedy, writing speeches and forming policy. He played large roles in a Latin America initiative and in the beginnings of legislation on civil rights. Then he stayed on for President Johnson, helping to bring the civil rights legislation to passage, before souring on Johnson because of Vietnam, and getting involved in the 1968 campaign for both Eugene McCarthy and then Bobby Kennedy. He was in the building when RFK was assassinated. He was a law school classmate of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. And Doris writes about her own recollections of that period- she is 11 years younger, experiencing those events as a student and young staffer in the Johnson administration.

Goodwin's writing is always wonderful- gripping and informative at the same time. The book concludes with Dick's final days before his death at age 87. I found that part the most arresting, as it is of course the most emotional- the author's love for her husband rips through the pages.

So I understand that the purpose of the book was to focus on Dick's (and Doris') political and professional experiences in the 60s, and it's good at that. But I wanted something about his personal life- he had a first wife during that time, and a son, who are referred to briefly early on and then never again. Obviously Goodwin doesn't want to share personal things of this nature, and has every right not to do so, but it's what I was left wanting to know something about.

Anyway, still a great read. show less

Intended for a middle grade audience, this new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin focuses on how four kids from very different backgrounds - Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson - grew up to lead the country. She has spent years researching these men and the fondness and admiration she feels for them shows in her impassioned accounts of their struggles and achievements.

She writes in her forward:

“It is my fondest hope that this show more book will make history exciting and interesting to young readers . . . most of all, I hope young readers will be encouraged to follow in the footsteps of the men and women in this book, who, at their best, were guided by a sense of moral courage…and showed great perseverance in the face of opposition as they sought and fought to expand opportunities for all of us.”

She adds in the Preface:

“Their early stories are full of confusion, hope, failure, and fear. We follow mistakes they made along the way - from inexperience, cockiness, carelessness, misjudgments, and arrogance . . . . Their struggles are not so different from our own.”

The book is divided into four sections, each one dedicated to the aforementioned men she has studied extensively, following the journeys they took from childhood to the adult leaders they would become. She explores what traits they had that led them to stand out and step up when the country was in need, focusing on qualities she identifies with “leadership” - including intelligence, energy, empathy, verbal and written gifts, social acumen (i.e., skills in dealing with people), and political acumen (i.e., the ability to perceive the dynamics of power relationships around them and use it to their advantage.) She zeroes in on their communication skills, and in particular, their use of storytelling to reach the common man and get him to feels a sense of commitment to their agendas.

They were also united, she averred, by having strong ambitions, and an unusual drive to succeed. To that end, they worked to enhance the qualities they were given to make themselves into forces to be reckoned with.

She observes that all four were recognized as leaders long before they reached the presidencies. But all had dramatic reversals in life that sent them spiraling downward psychologically and in some instances physically. Each man responded by fighting even harder to overcome the setbacks and accomplish something meaningful in the world. They believed in their ability to effect societal-level changes, and were able to convince followers they could as well. But importantly, their struggles conferred humility on them, and an empathy for others in difficult positions that would inform their political outlooks.

She asserts that leadership means “ambition for the greater good has become more important for you than the ambition for yourself.” But what about malevolent dictators? Yes, there are Lincolns and Roosevelts, but there are also Hitlers, Stalins, and Trumps. They are leaders too, but she ignores that fact entirely. They also have unusual persistence, a drive to succeed, extraordinary communication skills, and an ability to amass and influence followers.

In short, the same qualities that define “good” leaders can also define “bad” leaders, so what actually is the differentiating variable? Could it be a certain moral orientation? Or perhaps it is the presence or absence of empathy that makes them different. It might even be the emphasis of their goals: are they promoting a positive cause that seeks to uplift rather than tear down, such as saving the country or helping to make the world safe for democracy, or are their goals punitive and vengeful, such as killing all the Jews, or “owning all the Libs”? The qualities of leadership are amoral, and this fact was not addressed by the author. The qualities of good leadership, on the other hand, are a different story. As Kamala Harris said in a recent CNN interview, "The true measure of a [good] leader is based on who you lift up, not who you beat down."

There are occasional sidebars in the text to offer explanations of aspects of the narrative that might not be familiar to middle grade readers, such as “What is the State Legislature” and “What Was the Abolition Movement?” “Who was Frances Perkins?” “What Was the Great Depression?” “What is a Stock Market and How Did it Crash?” “What is the Filibuster?”

The book also features some illustrations by Amy June Bates as well as some photos.

Evaluation: The prose and subject matter seem a little sophisticated for middle grade, even with the helpful sidebars offering background. In fact, I found it just fine for an “adult” audience, and moreover enjoyed it immensely. Who, in today’s political environment, would not be buoyed by stories of moral men who put country over personal interests? show less