Summary of An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

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Summary of An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin: A Personal History of the 1960s

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An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a memoir that combines biography, memoir, and history. The book follows the emotional journey of Doris and her husband Richard (Dick) Goodwin, who were married for 42 years and were deeply involved in American history. The Goodwins' last adventure involved opening over three hundred boxes of letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia, which they realized provided an unparalleled personal time capsule of the 1960s. The voyage of remembrance brought unexpected discoveries, forgiveness, and the renewal of old dreams, reviving the hope that the youth of today will carry forward this unfinished love story with America.

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Summary of

An Unfinished Love Story

A

Summary of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book

A Personal History of the 1960s

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Summary of An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin:A Personal History of the 1960s

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Introduction

In 1972, Doris Kearns arrived at Harvard University to finish a book project. She was introduced to Richard "Dick" Goodwin, who had worked in John Kennedy's White House and served as Lyndon Johnson's chief speechwriter. They had a conversation about various topics, including writing, literature, philosophy, science, astronomy, sex, evolution, gossip, and the Red Sox.

Dick had left the White House in 1965 due to concerns about the Vietnam War. He had been criticised by the administration's foreign policy establishment and Ambassador Averell Harriman for biting the hand that fed him. Dick had an edgy nonconformist streak, a distinct gravity, a world-weariness, a sharp wit, yet a kindness in his eyes and gestures.

Dick suggested they continue their conversation over dinner at a restaurant on Beacon Hill in Boston. The author shared her childhood in Rockville Centre, New York, and her love for history and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dick interrupted her several times but only asked further questions about her mother and father. After dinner, Dick told her about growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, attending Tufts College and Harvard Law School. He had recently returned to Cambridge from rural Maine and wanted his son to be schooled in the Boston area.

Dick abruptly changed the subject to the Red Sox, the baseball team he adored despite a lifelong expectation they would fail. When he dropped her off at her house, he hugged her face and said good night. With Dick's office in the same building as hers, they became good friends, the deepest friendship of her life.

The author recounts her experience of falling in love with Dick and Richard, a couple who had been separated by Sandra's death. They struggled to balance their teaching and writing lives, and eventually realized that they had fallen in love. However, Dick's life turmoil made it impossible for him to commit to a long-term relationship, which the author wanted. He worried about his son, work, and finances, and feared the consequences if their relationship didn't work out.

The author sought support from psychiatrist Dr. Grete Bibring, who helped her understand her love for Dick but advised her to accept his decision to stay apart for the time being. Dick and Richard moved to Washington, where Dick became political editor at Rolling Stone magazine. The author worked hard to put her life back together without them, but eventually met Dick in Cambridge and they got married in December 1975.

The couple decided to make Concord, Massachusetts their permanent home, as they both longed for the bustle of big-city life and the tranquility of the country. Concord was a perfect compromise, as it had a rich history and was the seedbed of the American Revolution. Dick was a boisterous patriot, and he would recite "The Shot Heard Round the World" on the North Bridge, which the author found extinguishing.

The author and her husband, Dick, had a successful marriage and children, including Michael and Joe. They decided to stop teaching and pursue a career as a full-time writer, but found it challenging to balance their teaching duties with writing. Dick encouraged them to write biography and history, but the author struggled with writing quickly.

The author found it difficult to balance work and family, especially when they had three young boys. To overcome this, they created a workspace in the Concord Public Library, where they could focus for hours each morning. The author's love for libraries began in middle school, and they would often exchange pages and discuss their thoughts.

Dick's political career in the Sixties enriched the author's understanding of political choice and action. He continued to write books, articles, and columns, exploring the passions and achievements that shaped change in the Sixties.

The couple lived on Main Street in Concord, close to various amenities such as libraries, bookstores, and schools. Dick was the coach of Richard's Little League team, and the author was the team's scorekeeper. They took their children to Red Sox games, and the author felt an invisible loyalty and love linking them to their grandfather.

During high school, the family enjoyed various activities, such as wrestling matches, lacrosse games, school plays, guitar lessons, baseball card auctions, Star Trek, and comic book conventions. The house became the hub of activity for their children's friends, and the author and her husband would often find themselves waiting for the next action to begin.

The author and his wife, Doris, had a collection of over three hundred boxes of memorabilia from Dick's life, including handwritten letters, mementos, and drafts of speeches. They had to quickly select diaries, some drafts of speeches, personal letters, and memos between Dick and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The boxes represented a unique and comprehensive archive of the Sixties, but Dick resisted the idea of excavating them, believing that the end of the Sixties had cast a dark curtain on the entire decade.

One summer morning, Dick revealed that his eighty-year lifespan occupies more than a third of the republic's history, meaning that our democracy is merely three "Goodwins" long. He believed that massive and sweeping change would come, and it would generally percolate from the ground up, as in the days of the American Revolution, the antislavery movement, the progressive movement, the Civil Rights Movement, the women's movement, the gay rights movement, and the environmental movement.

Dick's concept of one "Goodwin" to measure an eight-decade span of American history was optimistic, and he wanted to explore his treasure trove. They hired Deb Colby as his research assistant and began the slow process of rummaging through the boxes in chronological order. Dick was hopeful that there might be something of a book in all the material he had uncovered, and they agreed to spend time on the first group of boxes covering the Fifties and the early Sixties.

The author and Dick's last great adventure together was about to begin, as they worked together to uncover the rich tapestry of American history.

Coming of Age

The author, a historian, often asks Dick about his youth, but he often shrugged off the question. He reflects on his own experiences as a young man, comparing his time with Dick when he was twenty-nine. He reflects on the presidents he studied, focusing on their formative stages of life. Through analyzing their diaries, letters, and recollections, the author develops an intuitive understanding of their youth. He mentions Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Abraham Lincoln, all of whom he admired for their unique qualities and experiences.

The author spent more time with Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson than with any other man in their life. They felt a powerful affinity for these figures and often joked about their status as "my guys." However, their husband, who owned the presidential archives, was not involved in their research. The author found a typed page of a journal Dick had started when he was a twenty-year-old student at Tufts College. Starting a journal is similar to starting a new intimate friendship, but requires confidence in oneself.

The narrator is struggling with a heavy workload and is considering adopting a new resolve. They plan to lie down for half an hour every time they have a new idea, even if it doesn't get much done. Dick, a twenty-something writer, criticizes the narrator's prose style, but the diary comes to an abrupt halt. The narrator recalls a diary they started and stopped when their mother died. They find a packet of nearly fty letters Dick wrote to his college friend, George Cuomo, who later became an English professor and novelist.

In his short-lived journal, Dick's intimate friendship with George allowed him to speak freely without fear of misunderstanding. His first letter, written in June 1953, set the tone for his decision to pursue Harvard Law. The family's finances had become a source of anxiety after his father lost his engineering job during the Depression. Dick worked as a Fuller Brush Man and a fry cook in Revere Beach before law school. The letters provided a valuable surrogate for Dick's journal, allowing him to express his thoughts without fear of misunderstanding.

In 1953, a twenty-one-year-old man, struggling with a job and a sweltering job, was involved in a big town fight for rent control. He was researching for a citizens committee leading the fight, which involved chasing people, meeting people, and even having a personal conversation with Senator Kennedy. This led to a financial strain and a decline in his social life. Despite his financial struggles, he loved being in the middle of the fight and was passionate about the issue. He gave a speech at a town meeting, and rent control was extended.

In 1953, Dick's letters to George reveal the pressure he faced during his first year at Harvard Law School. He felt like everyone was getting ahead of him, and his social life picked up when his speech made the front pages of the Boston papers. The pressure increased during midterm practice exams, with the Deans optimistic about keeping the number low. As winter turned to spring, Dick confessed to working hard and learning little, but the tension increased as finals approached.

The text discusses the overwhelming pressure of studying law, with 500 students hating themselves for every hour they spend not studying. Despite the absurdity, the study of law became fascinating for some students. In July 1954, Dick received an A average grade, indicating that maintaining high grades would open doors to distinguished law firms. He returned early to work on the Law Review, making a decision that had always puzzled him. The text highlights the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and focusing on one's studies.

In 1954, Dick, a Harvard graduate, decided to join the army instead of pursuing a career in law. He felt claustrophobic while in the library, but he knew it was not due to panic or fear of failure. Instead, he was driven by the fear of success, as if a roadmap had unrolled for him. Dick's experience in Fort Dix, New Jersey, taught him the importance of survival and the diverse group of fellow Americans he would encounter.