The Art of Becoming a Citizen

From the three-time National Book Award nominee and New York Times bestselling author Gail Godwin comes an incandescent reflection on past and present that speaks urgently to our current political moment. "He just had the presidency stolen from him." It‘s November 1960, and a crush of reporters eagerly await the first postelection meeting between Kennedy and Nixon when Nixon‘s ally Bebe Rebozo speaks these words to the crowd. Among the eyewitnesses is Gail Godwin, reporting for the Miami Herald. Hearing these words echoed in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Godwin embarks on a project to reflect on that long-ago moment and offset a mounting pressure of dread about the election that loomed ahead. In looking back at her life as a young woman abroad, her early marriage, her friendships with Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving juxtaposed with chronicles of the recent election cycle, she discovers an understory that surprises her—one that leads her to ask, "What, at this late date, did I still want to become?" With hope, urgency, and a yearning so many now feel, Godwin‘s blend of history and memoir delivers both inspiration and a rousing battle call, encouraging readers to engage in their own reflection on the art and meaning of being a citizen.