President franklin delano roosevelt biography books

Every student of American history knows that Franklin D. Roosevelt served more terms as President of the United States than any other person ever has — or ever will. His response to those challenges fundamentally altered the relationship between the American people and their government…and left FDR with a reputation as one of the most consequential if not successful of U.

It should not be surprising that FDR consumed more of my time than any other president: 19 books, almost 12, pages and more than seven months. It proved to be nearly the perfect length, consistently clear and difficult to put down. Full review here.

Franklin D. Roosevelt is a well-known president, yet many people do not know many facts about his life.

As a result, coverage of FDR is not merely thorough…it is encyclopedic. In addition, the author offers too many facts and not nearly enough insight or analysis. After writing the first four of a projected six volumes, Freidel abandoned the series and, instead, wrote this book more than a decade later. Reading more like a history text, this biography lacks an engaging narrative or a consistent exploration for why events unfolded as they did.

FDR: A Biography.

Unfortunately, I was left disappointed. It lacks vibrancy, a consistent level of focus on important issues or events and provides inadequate insight and analysis. The Burns series is often considered the earliest truly comprehensive biography of FDR, its first volume having been published in The second volume won a Pulitzer Prize in It is far more focused on his public life than his friends and family — readers will learn more of Mussolini than Eleanor Roosevelt, for example — and is far more focused on his first eight years in office than his pre -presidency.

Originally intended to consist of four volumes, Schlesinger abandoned the series after being appointed Special Assistant to President Kennedy in