Deconstructing Barry

He was a defining figure in American public life, and that rarest of people: a local politician of whom we could be proud rather than ashamed. Senator Barry Goldwater’s impressive legacy is particularly resonant in an era in which American conservatism has rather a bad name, and his story, as told in the recently published biography Pure Goldwater, provides new insights into our own American icon. Among the many revelations from authors John Dean and former California congressman Barry M. Goldwater Jr. –- whose text reprints and analyzes excerpts from Goldwater’s private journal and draws on the late Senator’s correspondence, private interviews, and behind-the-scenes conversations –- are Goldwater Sr.’s opinions about Watergate and Richard Nixon; his disdain for the extreme right; and a personal recap of his 1964 run for presidency and his “extremism in defense of liberty” speech, which turned away millions of voters. Goldwater Jr. reads from and discusses the book at this event.

Mon., June 23, 7-8:30 p.m., 2008