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On deck: Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian (and baseball enthusiast) talks American leadership at UNLV

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With rare access to President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Kennedy family, writer Doris Kearns Goodwin busted out a pair of engaging and best-selling political books before winning a Pulitzer for her third, 1995’s No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front During World War II. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner collaborated with her in creating 2012 film, Lincoln, loosely based on her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

On April 25, the presidential historian and commentator will speak at UNLV’s Ham Hall as part of the Barrick Lecture Series. The event, “Leadership Lessons From the White House: Doris Kearns Goodwin on the American Presidents,” feels timely at a moment that finds much of the country exhausted by a drawn-out presidential primary season rife with absurd antics and chest-pounding proclamations.

Kearns Goodwin, who worked as an aide to Johnson and taught government at Harvard University for 10 years, is a regular on news talk shows, including Meet the Press, helping to dissect the players and policies in D.C. Whether discussing the melancholy and ambition of Lincoln or her time working with Johnson on his memoirs later in his life, she’s an eloquent public speaker who can share details about minutia in the routines of great leaders while delving deep into their political aspirations and achievements. With any luck, she’ll also touch on her other passion, baseball.

Doris Kearns Goodwin April 25, 7:30 p.m., free (though tickets are required). UNLV’s Artemus Ham Hall, 702-895-2787.

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