Linda Goodman, who was born with the name Mary
Alice Kemery, was born on April 9, 1925, in Morgantown, West Virginia. She was
an American astrologer and poet who was notable as the author of the first The
New York Times Best Selling astrology book.
After graduating from Parkersburg High School in
1934, Linda started off her career as a radio host for a popular show called
Love Letters from Linda, where she would read letters from soldiers to their
loved ones. This would be followed by a corresponding popular song of the day.
After that, she began writing for newspapers and even wrote speeches for black
American civil rights leader Whitney Young. Linda had a huge role in the growth
of the New Age movement with the success of her first astrology book, “Sun Signs”.
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs was a book on astrology for relationships. The book
made it to The New York Times Best Seller list and set a record with $2.3
million paperback rights. She also published several other astrology books. Linda proved her work by publishing another
book ten years later Linda Goodman’s Love Signs that also became a bestseller
worthy piece.
Linda had two marriages and was the mother to
four children. Her eldest daughter, Sally Snyder disappeared in the 1970's and
police eventually closed the case as a suicide. Goodman, however, refused to
believe this after consulting her daughter’s astrological charts and continued
to search for her daughter for the rest of her life. She spent a great deal of
money and effort in this search for her daughter.
Her down-to-earth nature along with her sharp
insights and elegance is what set Linda Goodman’s book apart from the rest.
Goodman used examples from the lives of celebrities, historical figures and
friends to illustrate what she meant in her books. She elaborated how
people’s personality traits would play out against their own
tendencies. This often made Goodman seem more like a psychologist than an
astrologist.
Linda Goodman also founded a new religion,
Manitou. This was a combination of teachings from certain Native American
tribes and those of St. Francis of Assisi. She spent the later part of her life
in Cripple Creek, Colorado and eventually passed away at the age of 70 due to
complications from diabetes.