Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President

This biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt focuses on how his struggles with polio helped forged the strength and wisdom that helped him guide America and the world through the twin crises of the Great Depression and World War II. Illustrations.
"In popular memory, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the quintessential political "natural." Born in 1882 to a wealthy, influential family and blessed with charisma, he seemed destined for high office from birth. Yet for all his gifts, the young Roosevelt nonetheless lacked depth, empathy, and strategic ability. Those qualities, so essential to his success as president, were skills he acquired during his eight-year struggle through illness and recovery. Becoming FDR traces the riveting story of the cruciblethat forged Roosevelt's political ascent. Soon after contracting polio in 1921, the former vice-presidential candidate was left paralyzed from the waist down at the age of thirty-nine. He spent nearly a decade trying to heal and rehabilitate his body andadapt to the stark new reality of his life. By the time he reemerged on the national stage, his character and his abilities had been transformed. He had become shrewd by necessity, tailoring his speeches to a new medium-radio-that allowed him to reach listeners far beyond his physical presence. Suffering had also taught Roosevelt compassion, cementing his bond with those he once famously called "the forgotten man." Most crucially, he had discovered how to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation-a genius for inspiration he employed to motivate Americans through the Great Depression and World War II. The polio years were transformative too for Eleanor Roosevelt, whose at-first reluctant appearances as her husband's surrogate sparked a drive to become aforce in her own right. Tracing the physical, political, and personal transformation of the iconic president, Becoming FDR is the story of a man who found his strong, true self in the depths of a crushing challenge-and re-emerged with wisdom he would useto inspire the world"--
“An illuminating account of how Franklin D. Roosevelt’s struggles with polio steeled him for the great struggles of the Depression and of World War II.”—Jon Meacham“A valuable book for anyone who wants to know how adversity shapes character. By understanding how FDR became a deeper and more empathetic person, we can nurture those traits in ourselves and learn from the challenges we all face.”—Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo Da VinciIn popular memory, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the quintessential political “natural.” Born in 1882 to a wealthy, influential family and blessed with an abundance of charm and charisma, he seemed destined for high office. Yet for all his gifts, the young Roosevelt nonetheless lacked depth, empathy, and an ability to think strategically. Those qualities, so essential to his success as president, were skills he acquired during his seven-year journey through illness and recovery. Becoming FDR traces the riveting story of the struggle that forged Roosevelt’s character and political ascent. Soon after contracting polio in 1921 at the age of thirty-nine, the former failed vice-presidential candidate was left paralyzed from the waist down. He spent much of the next decade trying to rehabilitate his body and adapt to the stark new reality of his life. By the time he reemerged on the national stage in 1928 as the Democratic candidate for governor of New York, his character and his abilities had been transformed. He had become compassionate and shrewd by necessity, tailoring his speeches to inspire listeners and to reach them through a new medium—radio. Suffering cemented his bond with those he once famously called “the forgotten man.” Most crucially, he had discovered how to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation—a skill that he employed to motivate Americans through the Great Depression and World War II. The polio years were transformative, too, for the marriage of Franklin and Eleanor, and for Eleanor herself, who became, at first reluctantly, her husband's surrogate at public events, and who grew to become a political and humanitarian force in her own right. Tracing the physical, political, and personal evolution of the iconic president, Becoming FDR shows how adversity can lead to greatness, and to the power to remake the world.