An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Goodwin (Team of Rivals) sparkles in her memoir-biography-history, reflecting on the experiences she and her late husband, Richard “Dick” Goodwin, had with the Kennedys and Johnsons in the 1960s. Opening with a loving retelling of how she and Dick met and courted, she segues to the present, where Dick reviews notes and memorabilia he saved from his time as a speechwriter for JFK, LBJ, and RFK. Her account is told in chronological order, and Goodwin provides detailed context for each milestone. As she narrates, she channels Dick’s amazement of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s accomplishments in law school, stress at being Kennedy’s speechwriter, friendship with Jackie Kennedy, shock and confusion during the assassination and its aftermath, optimism turned to frustration when working with LBJ, and devastation after RFK’s death. Goodwin weaves in her experience working for LBJ when in her twenties and writing his biography. Recordings inserted of JFK, LBJ, and RFK reading Dick’s speeches bring history alive. Actor Bryan Cranston performs correspondence from Dick so convincingly that one would swear it was Dick reading them.