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Doris Kearns Goodwin is an American author, historian, and biographer that harbors an obsession for American presidents. Born in 1943 in New York City to Michael Aloysius Kearns and Helen Witt, Goodwin’s love for sports was nurtured from a young age.
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Order of Doris Kearns Goodwin Standalone Novels
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream | 1976 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys | 1987 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | No Ordinary Time | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Wait Till Next Year | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Team of Rivals | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Bully Pulpit | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Leadership: In Turbulent Times | 2018 | Description / Buy |
Order of Doris Kearns Goodwin Non-Fiction Books
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Doris Kearns Goodwin Anthologies
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In Our Own Words: Extraordinary Speeches of the American Century | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | A Word on Words: The Best of John Seigenthaler's Interviews | 2023 | Description / Buy |
She was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, which isn’t surprising because she grew up on Long Island. She followed their games religiously, documenting them and then replaying them for her father when he got home. Her love for the game faltered when the team went to Los Angeles.
But then it re-ignited when she went to Harvard and started following the Boston Red Sox. She eventually became the first female journalist to enter their locker room. That was in 1979 and it was one of the highlights of her career as a sports journalist.
Goodwin eventually married Richard N Goodwin, a widower with a son. The author met her husband at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Their marriage produced two sons. He eventually died in 2018.
Doris Kearns Goodwin is known primarily for her literary biographical efforts and political commentary. She attended South Side High in New York before getting her degree (Bachelor of Arts) from Colby College in Maine.
She eventually attended Harvard from where she acquired her Ph.D. Goodwin’s fascination with past presidents was born at the age of 24. The graduate was fortunate enough to join a leadership and public service program that took her to Washington.
Goodwin had opposed President Lyndon B. Johnson quite vigorously because of his handling of the Vietnam conflict. She had even written an article detailing a plan that could be used to boot him from office.
As a White House Fellow, she expected her time in Washington to end once the President discovered the work she had done to oppose and undermine his administration. However, once President Johnson found out who she was, he demanded that she stay at the White House for a year. He was certain that he could win her over.
This paved the way for Goodwin’s long career in politics. She went to Harvard to teach following Johnson’s departure. No one was particularly surprised when she eventually published ‘Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream’, her first book.
She based it on the conversations she had had with Johnson, not to mention everything she learned when she was helping him draft his memoirs. The book was a hit, becoming a bestseller and giving Goodwin the drive she needed to continue writing. Since then, the author has written numerous books on past presidents.
Doris Kearns Goodwin has no interest in writing about living presidents. She loves the research that is required to write books chronicling the lives of past presidents, especially the time she spends pouring over diaries and letters. None of that would be necessary with a living president.
As such, she has chosen to confine herself to the biographies of dead presidents.
Doris Kearns Goodwin Awards
Goodwin has won the Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement), the Lincoln Prize, Pulitzer Prize (History), an Audie Award, and an Ambassador Book Award.
Doris Kearns Goodwin Books into Movies
‘Lincoln’, Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film was based on a book about President Lincoln that Goodwin wrote.
Best Doris Kearns Goodwin Books
Of all the presidents the author has written about, Lincoln is her favorite; she is drawn to him because of his humility and confidence; some of the best books in her bibliography include:
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln: Life in America changed in 1860 when Lincoln won the Republican National Convention. He succeeded because he was a humble man whose empathetic personality allowed him to see things from the point of view of other people.
This allowed him to create a most unusual cabinet by bringing his disgruntled opponents together and using their talents to unite the nation. Goodwin brings Lincoln’s story to life in vivid detail.
The Home Front in WWII: This book takes readers on a journey through the country’s most revolutionary period by chronicling the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, not only their meeting, marriage, and burgeoning partnership but also the impression they left on America and the world at large.
Rather than a generalized narration, Goodwin does what she can to paint an intimate portrait of her subjects.
When Does The Next Doris Kearns Goodwin book come out?
Doris Kearns Goodwin doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s and was released on April, 16th 2024. It is the newest book in the Turner Series.