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Oxford University Press
January 2010
On Sale: December 30, 2009
128 pages ISBN: 0199732027 EAN: 9780199732029 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Biography
"No president since the founders has done more to shape the
character of American government," notes Alan Brinkley in
this magnificent biography of America's thirty-second
president. "And no president since Lincoln has served
through darker or more difficult times. Roosevelt thrived
in crisis. It brought out his greatness, and his guile. It
triggered his almost uncanny ability to communicate
effectively with people of all kinds. And at times, it
helped him excoriate his enemies, and to revel in doing so."
This brilliant, compact biography chronicles Franklin
Delano Roosevelt's rise from a childhood of privilege to a
presidency that forever changed the face of international
diplomacy, the American party system, and the government's
role in global and domestic policy. Brinkley, the National
Book Award-winning New Deal historian, provides a clear,
concise introduction to Roosevelt's sphinx-like character
and remarkable achievements. In a vivid narrative packed
with telling anecdotes, the book moves swiftly from
Roosevelt's youth in upstate New York--characterized by an
aristocratic lifestyle of trips to Europe and private
tutoring--to his schooling at Harvard, his brief law
career, and his initial entry into politics. From there,
Brinkley chronicles Roosevelt's rise to the presidency, a
position in which FDR remained until death, through an
unparalleled three-plus terms in office. Throughout the
book, Brinkley elegantly blends FDR's personal life with
his professional one, providing a lens into the President's
struggles with polio and his somewhat distant relationship
with the first lady.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the United States through the
worst economic crisis in the nation's history and through
the greatest and most terrible war ever recorded. His
extraordinary legacy remains alive in our own troubled new
century as a reminder of what bravery and strong leadership
can accomplish.
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