Doris K. Goodwin's capture of a new $50,000 prize for Team of Rivals has triggered memories for some of us: As someone who spent five years personally transcribing hundreds of hours of interviews for a recent oral history of Wall Street, you'll forgive me if I consider a noted and highly paid historian repeatedly committing plagiarism a serious crime of authorship. In my mind it's unconscionable that an institution like the New York Historical Society would be feting someone like Goodwin with awards and prizes after such disgraceful revelations, particularly when there are so many other historians and writers deserving of recognition.The comments after this post are remarkable. You see why I keep the comments feature on this blog turned off:
* "Dude, if you will just follow the links you yourself have provided, you will find out more information which I think does exonerate Goodwin to some degree."
* "Goodwin may have her faults, but she remains one of the most accessible, informative and reliable sources of historical insight in America."
* "I sense an ax to grind."
* "This seems to be more about the author's personal issues than what Doris Kearns Goodwin did or did not do."
* "As a long time Civil War/Lincoln fan, I found this book excellent- one of the top, if not the top, book about Abe that I have ever read. I have read hundreds."
* "I think it was inadvertence."
* "I actually have read the book and have recommended it to everyone with an interest in history."
* "In her case, it was not malice but confusion, like a song writer who discovers that a song he'd written was actually partly a tune he'd heard earlier and then forgotten about."
* "I just think Doris is wonderful!"
* 'So do you pronounce your name as "whiner?"'
* "I question your motives in raising this now."
* "You're quite off base here. Ms. Kearns Goodwin long ago acknowledged her mistake and has sought to do better."
The nonfiction reader has spoken: Dudes! Doris rocks!
(Upper right: receiving the Pulitzer)
