Peggy Louise Goodin (May 18, 1923 – August 23, 1983) was a best-selling American novelist and three-time

Hopwood Award The Hopwood Awards are a major scholarship program at the University of Michigan, founded by Avery Hopwood. Under the terms of the will of Avery Hopwood, a prominent American dramatist and member of the class of 1905 of the University of Michigan, ...

winner. Two of her novels were adapted into films.

Life and career

Peggy Louise Goodin was born to Goldie Leona Shimp and James Lawrence Goodin, an automobile dealer, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, and grew up in

Bluffton, Indiana Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster townships, Wells County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,308 at the 2020 census and the estimated population is 10,390. The city is the county seat of Wells County. History Blufft ...

. She later said that she spent her time in Bluffton "trying to make the boys' football team, winning medals for oratory, and annoying her teachers." Goodin was involved in literary pursuits from an early age, serving as the editor of her school paper and yearbook. Goodin earned an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1945. While there, she won the prestigious

in 1942, 1943, and 1945. Her final win was for the work that would become her first novel, ''Clementine'', which she wrote in the basement of the

Chi Omega Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities. Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chapte ...

house on campus. On June 28, 1946, Goodin published ''Clementine'' with Dutton. The novel is a

coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal ...

about a red-haired tomboy named Clementine. In a starred review, ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called it "a chronology with funny, tender highspots, that manages growing pains without parody or maudlinity," concluding that it was a "very pleasant, lightly subsurface tale of adolescence, which sneaks up on you." The novel was adapted into the film ''

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael (given name), Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men ...

'' in 1948; subsequent printings of the book used both titles on the cover. Goodin earned an M.A. from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in 1949. While attending McGill, she wrote book reviews for the ''McGill Daily''. Her second novel, ''Take Care of My Little Girl'' (Dutton, 1950), began as her masters thesis. In it, Goodin examines the racism, classism, and religious prejudice of Greek life on a college campus. She sold the film rights to the book for a reported $30,000. ''

Take Care of My Little Girl ''Take Care of My Little Girl'' is a 1951 drama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Jeanne Crain, Dale Robertson, Mitzi Gaynor and Jean Peters. The film, shot in Technicolor, is based on the 1950 novel of the same name written by Peggy ...

'' was released as a film in 1951. ''The Lie'', about a mother who must pass her daughter off as her sister, was Dutton's top fiction title for the fall of 1953. However, ''Kirkus'' reviewed it with much less enthusiasm. Goodin's final novel, ''Dede O'Shea'', was released by Dutton on May 29, 1957. Of its eponymous heroine, ''Kirkus'' wrote, "A ragingly young Californian makes a pleasant heroine with an addiction to truth -- and consequences."

Works

* ''Clementine'' (1946) * ''Mickey'' (1948) * ''Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1950), filmed as ''

'' (1951) * ''The Lie'' (1953) * ''Dede O'Shea'' (1957)

Life and career

Works

References

Further reading