Paul's Reviews > An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

There are many reasons why I liked this book so much, but the main one is that I grew up during this time. I was aware of these events taling place, but not so much of one of the influencers of the time, Dick Goodwin. You've probably heard of the author, Doris Kearns Goodwin, as she has written a number of books about US Presidents, most notably "No Ordinary Time" (Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt) and "Team of Rivals" (Abrahahm Lincoln). Well, both Doris and Dick worked in the White House, he under JFK and LBJ, and she under LBJ, but they did not meet and get married until after LBJ had left the White House. Dick Goodwin was a speechwriter for both Presidents, and the most compelling part of this book is the way in which the words Dick Goodwin wrote for them shaped public sentiment as well as congressional legislation. His influence through his choice of words was tremendous.

This book captures the joy and the promise of JFK's campaign and short-lived term, including the establishment of the Peace Corps, the promise to put a man on the moon, the (albeit late) recognition of the civil rights movement, and the shock of his assassination.

LBJ was truly a tragic figure. His first two years in office saw the greatest strides in social legislation of the century, even surpassing that of FDR, dealing a severe (but not fatal) blow to Jim Crow, guaranteeing civil rights and voting rights, outlawing discrimination in housing, and establishing Medicare. But by his third year in office, Vietnam had doomed him.

You will appreciate this book if you want to learn more about how the words spoken by two Presidents helped shape the history of the time, but if you lived through that time, as I did, you may just love this book.