Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin turns personal in this illuminating memoir of the unparalleled 1960s as she and her husband, Richard “Dick” Goodwin, in the year he turned 80, go through the myriad boxes of letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia that he saved for more than 50 years. 

Focusing on Dick Goodwin’s intimate relationship as speech writer and confidant of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy, and her own close working relationship with Johnson, the author gives the reader an intimate look at the Goodwins’ 42-year marriage, their passions, and the hopeful idealism of JFK’s New Frontier and LBJ’s Great Society. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, immigration reform, Medicare, Medicaid, and the first federally funded aid program for higher education were products of this extraordinary period. Unlike other books written about the 1960s, Kearns Goodwin’s book delves into the closeness of her husband to the Kennedys and Lyndon Johnson, and her equally close relationship with LBJ, creating competing loyalties throughout their marriage. 

As Dick Goodwin nears the end of his life, they spend countless hours analyzing these relationships. In many ways, it seemed Dick Goodwin had the good fortune be in the right place at the right time. His intelligence and passion for helping those who were less fortunate, along with his unswerving energy gave him the skill to be intimately involved with the most important defining social and political movements of the time. 

Our book club members, in high school or college during the events of this period, enjoyed reflecting upon their personal experiences and recollections as well as learning much about the role of presidential speech writers. The majority really liked the book. One member, who was younger at the time, was not as excited about the book as the others, but liked the descriptions of the author’s relationship with her husband. 

Despite the hopes and strides of the 1960s, America is still grappling with the same issues, as Kearns Goodwin calls “an unfinished love story.” 

—Mary Jane Towle, UMRA Book Club 1