Doris Kearns Goodwin

Doris Kearns Goodwin is an American historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for her biographies of U.S. presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt. With a vast body of work that also covers stories of strife, civil war and reconciliation, Goodwin is one of the most celebrated authors in recent history.

Goodwin was born and raised in Rockville Centre, New York. She attended Colby College in Maine, majoring in history. After graduating in 1964, she landed an internship at the White House, working for President Lyndon Johnson. This experience would shape her career as an author, as she has written about many presidents she had the opportunity to work for.

Goodwin’s first book, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, was published in 1976. Drawing from her personal conversations with the former president, she wrote an insightful account of his time in the White House. This book kicked off a successful literary career for Goodwin, whose career began to expand and she wrote about more U.S. presidents.

Goodwin went on to write The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, which became an acclaimed television miniseries in 1987. Her highly researched book chronicles the lives of three generations of the renowned Kennedy family, shedding light on their successes and failures. The book won Goodwin the Pulitzer Prize for History and has been hailed as one of the most authoritative biographies of the Kennedy family.

Goodwin’s extensive research and vivid storytelling makes her work stand out amongst other biographies. Her ability to paint the lives of her subjects with compelling and vivid detail leaves readers wanting more. Goodwin’s storytelling style is passionate, personal, and informative. She often intertwines personal memoirs with tidbits of historical information, making her writing come alive.

In addition to her plethora of material concerning various presidents, Goodwin wrote Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir (1998), an endearing memoir of her childhood growing up in Long Island. The book shares stories of her parents, who, despite their own personal struggles, created a home filled with love for their talented and ambitious daughter.

Goodwin’s latest book, Leadership in Turbulent Times (2018), is a complex and interesting narrative that examines the lives of four presidents—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson—revealing how they used their skills to transform the nation during difficult times.

From presidential biographies to memoirs and other historical nonfiction, the works of Doris Kearns Goodwin are sure to captivate and inform readers of all ages.