Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties [Hardcover]

Richard N. Goodwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1988

In this inspiring memoir, adviser and speechwriter Richard N. Goodwin evokes the hopes, dreams, and ideals of an extraordinary and turbulent decade.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Billed as a sweeping personal retrospective of the 1960s, and coming with high praise from luminaries, this is essentially a speechwriter's memoir that functions best as high-level insider's gossip. As assistant special counsel to John Kennedy, Goodwin was privy to the planning of the Bay of Pigs invasion against Castro and other matters. Yet he admits unblushingly that he knew almost nothing about the internal politics of Vietnam as late as January 1965. There are behind-the-scenes glimpses of Governor Wallace of Alabama and Che Guevara. Becoming Lyndon Johnson's chief speechwriter, Goodwin found LBJ to be a "gargantuan manipulator" but defends his politics ("The Great Society did not fail. It was abandoned"). His portrayal of Johnson as paranoid and out of touch with reality is certainly alarming. This self-congratulatory, rhetorically high-flown memoir also includes close-ups of Robert Kennedy and of Goodwin's role in Eugene McCarthy's bid for the presidency.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown Company; 1st edition (September 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316320242
• ISBN-13: 978-0316320245
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Johnson, Lyndon

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, but not what you may expect, January 25, 2000

By 

B. C. Roy Watson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remembering America : A Voice From the Sixties (Paperback)

Richard Goodwin clerked for a Supreme Court justice, played an important role in the politics of the 1960's, and was personally acquainted with JFK, RFK, LBJ, and Eugene McCarthy. As such, one might imagine that he's got some great stories to tell. And he does. But, lest you get the wrong idea, let me tell you some things you won't find in Remembering America.

Like some others, I bought the book after seeing the movie Quiz Show, to read more about the Van Doren scandal. And, yes, the book is about Van Doren; it's also about a lot of other things, and the quiz show scandal of the late 1950's is only a small part. There's a lot more here than that.

So many books written about JFK and RFK idolize them and give them godlike status. Goodwin clearly admires them both, and is not an impartial judge of either - but in all fairness, I don't believe he would claim to be unbiased. But, if you're looking for effusive, gushing praise of the Kennedys, a la Pierre Salinger, you'll probably find Remembering America a disappointment. Goodwin presents fairly well-rounded portraits of both men.

Perhaps you want historical analysis, complete with graphs, footnotes, and scholarly reasoning. This isn't it. This is Goodwin's own recollections over his career, include his brief (and hilarious) Army service; his admiration of, and later pity for, Johnson; his shock and grief when Robert Kennedy (who had become a close friend by then) was assassinated; his personal impressions, memories of, and anecdotes about a wide variety of significant people, from Felix Frankfurter to Che Guevara.

Maybe you want "the voice of the sixties," complete with all the garbage that often passes these days for political and historical thought about that period: self-indulgence, combined with the sanctimonious suggestion that the baby boomers were the only people ever to be troubled by or try to change the world around them, topped with the arrogant idea that they are always right. Nope, you won't find that here either. Goodwin does recall that decade as turbulent, exciting, and volatile; I wouldn't be surprised if he considered those years the best times in his life. But he does not consider the era or people to be sacred.

So what's here to like? A hell of a lot.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Washington Insider, August 9, 2004

By 

mr sachmo (Carrollton, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties (Hardcover)

Goodwin was very close to many of the major political figures of the 60's, and it shows in his book. He gives insights into the men who ran the country during that decade of change, and helps to introduce the reader to the men as they really were, not necessarily who they seemed to be. I found Goodwin to be a very truthful author, which is important to me.

Goodwin is very much a free thinker, often taking actions that he feels are "right", rather than those that would be best for his career. I found this refreshing, and maybe this is more of Goodwin remembering how things should have been rather than how things really were, but I have found no evidence to refute his claims. He presents everything in a thoughful way, rather than a dry recounting of facts.

A note on the tone of the book: If you can't stomach liberal politics, then this is not the book for you. Goodwin wanted to change the world, and that world would have been one laden with liberal policies. Conservatives may end up beating themselves over the head with this book. You have been warned! :)

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive Insight into the 60's, March 10, 2000

By 

Adam D. Henig (Chico, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remembering America : A Voice From the Sixties (Paperback)

Richard N. Goodwin gives a detailed analysis on of the most intriguing and eventful era's in U.S. history. His personal account and experience with the most powerful leaders was strikingly fascinating. The book begins with a brief description of his childhood. From Goodwin's Anti-Semitic dilemmas to his scholastic achievement that lead to his admission to New York's Columbia University. After his graduating at the top of his class at Harvard Law School,he received a clerical job working for a Supreme Court justice. To the justice's disgusts, Goodwin decides to work on a presidential campaign for then Mass. Senator, John F. Kennedy. Richard N. Goodwin proceeds through his exciting and successful election of 1960. JFK awarded Goodwin for his splendid work on the campaign , as a top consultant to Latin America. After the assasination, he is forced to work with LBJ. Not content at first, he sees Johnson under a different limelight. The author is more pleased and optimistic about Johnson, only to be let down with Vietnam. LBJ's erratic behavior and his paranoid personality, leads to an early exit from The White House. I highly recommend this book to to individual's who enjoy reading about contemporary American History. As someone who was fortunate to be born a decade later , I was still able to appreciate the historical significance Goodwin's rise and fall within the political arena.