Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Did Wait Till Next Year spark any forgotten memories from your childhood? Did it remind you of special moments you shared with your parents, of family traditions that you enjoyed? Did this book inspire you to write down any of your own history to share with family members in years to come?

One of the most pleasant aspects of reading a well-written memoir is that it often helps you recall dim memories of your own.Does regional team loyalty still mean the same thing in today's 'global village,' or has the technology that has made our country seem smaller altered the notion of the 'home team?' What does baseball offer that other sports cannot? Is it still our true national pastime? Discuss the sport's changing role in the American landscape through the second half of the 20th Century. Idolizing her team as only a child can, Doris was fortunate enough to have her childhood coincide with baseball's most glorious heyday.How does time affect our memories? Is it natural to 'revise' our own personal history? Are we destined to recall the best times of our lives as rosier than they actually were?

Although her childhood was marked by the untimely death of her mother, Doris paints a near-perfect picture of life in the suburbs.Kearns' relationship with Doris provide that he missed during his tragic childhood? How did you respond to the female point of view in this book? Did you see Doris as the son her father never had? Or was she an extension of his sister, Marguerite? What does Mr. In the 1950s, most fathers did not take their little girls to baseball games.Discuss how these gifts complement one another and how they came together to make Doris the historian and wordsmith she is today. Kearns demonstrates the beauty of a well-chosen word, and how a good book can take you away to places you might otherwise never go. Kearns teaches Doris the importance of telling a story slowly, building the drama to a powerful crescendo. Doris's parents each pass on their own special gifts to their daughter.How important is it for people - particularly children - to have such heroes to look up to? How can we feel such a strong kinship to people we have never met? Are sports figures the best role models? What lessons can athletes teach us about life? Individual players became her heroes, as well-loved and respected as family and friends. Like millions of Americans, Doris was caught up in the glory days of baseball in the 1950s, exhilarated by the Dodgers' victories, and pained by each and every loss.

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin