I read “A Choice not an Echo” and “The Conscience of a Conservative” when I was in my early teens. Goldwater was a breath of fresh air. He brought hope to those of us with Libertarian Conservative philosophies. I remember at the convention of 1964, he said “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in defense of justice is no virtue.”
Also, he said “Keep the Government out of our pocketbooks and bedrooms.”
He also came out against gun owners towards the end. I still don’t know how he changed from being a rock solid conservative to left-of-center near the end of his life.