Doris Kearns Goodwin Explores Leadership in Turbulent Times

by Kate Sanders, University of Oklahoma

Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prizewinning author Doris Kearns Goodwin addressed a full auditorium June 23. She interspersed reading selections from her forthcoming book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, with anecdotes discovered from over five decades of research on U.S. presidents. Her only fear, she quipped, is that there will be a panel of presidents in the afterlife judging the work she has done.

She began by telling of her love of libraries, and the way the books sustained her invalid mother. The stories she encountered fueled her career in historical research. Rather than leave behind any of her “guys,” Goodwin chose to write using a theme that united them all – leadership.

She outlined major parts of her book: Abraham Lincoln (who brought the country through the Civil War), Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt (who gave the people hope and progress during the Great Depression), and Lyndon B. Johnson (who fought for civil rights and racial equality). She highlighted each story by telling about their first attempt for public office, their resilience through crises, and their time in the White House.

She began her career at age 24 as a White House Fellow under President Johnson, with whom she maintained a friendship until his death. She was able to study him closely and published her first political biography, chronicling his life and career. She described him as a man who loved to tell tall tales and who appreciated her company because she was a great listener. When he brought her to an outdoor picnic to “discuss their relationship,” she feared it was a romantic overture. However, he told her that, “More than any other woman I have ever known, you remind me of my mother.”

Through her research Goodwin identified no single common factor that led each of these men to the White House. They came from varying financial and family backgrounds, with differing academic performances and financial histories. She did conclude, however, that they each had the confidence to surround themselves with strongminded people who would challenge them. They did not coddle themselves in echo chambers of yes-men. In addition to their advisors, they made regular contact with the public and communicated with them in everyday language. Lincoln met regularly with soldiers and heard from his countrymen; Roosevelt was accessible via the newspaper; and FDR joined folks in their living rooms with his fireside chats. Finally, she found that, except for Johnson, each of these men found it necessary to make time for themselves to relax and set aside the burden of running the nation. Johnson later had three heart attacks, demonstrating that being unable to take time off was not the healthiest of choices.

She concluded by quoting Abigail Adams – “Great necessities call out great virtues.”

Charlemae Rollins President’s Program: The Influence of Books on American Children Today

By Wendy Bundy, Clarion University, PA

Everywhere we look we see division and negativity as it is reflected in all forms of media, including books. But what do “quality” and “excellence” really mean in the canon of American literature for children? Panelists at the ALSC President’s Program on June 25 explained that we must consider the child when we evaluate books for distinction.

Debbie Reese, educator and advocate for Native representation, said that children may learn to not like who they are because of portrayal of their culture in books. She referenced the book Little House on the Prairie, because of the way it represents Native Americans. When it comes to choosing the best books for children, “if they shape us in good ways, they can shape children in bad ways as well,” Reese emphasized.

Ebony Thomas, assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania, noted that instead of being so focused on diversity in children’s books, we should be more focused on whether a child is reading, period.

Award-winning author and 2018 National School Library Month spokesperson Jason Reynolds agreed with Thomas, that looking at whether a child is reading is important. Additionally, the bigger question to answer if a child is not reading, is why that child is not reading. It could be that the child does not have access to books to read or anything that appeals to their demographic. Children especially need to see demographics like their own, characters they can relate to, and stories that will motivate them.

Margarita Engle, the current National Young People’s Poet Laureate and awardwinning author said, “Children are the only possible peacemakers of the future.” We must give them the tools to be those peacemakers. Tools that come in the form of knowledge and words, tools that they only can get from reading.