Franklin D. Roosevelt

Frank Freidel's book ranks as one of the best single-volume biographies of Franklin Roosevelt. While the book covers the span of Roosevelt's life, from his privileged early years growing up in upstate New York to his work establishing a clinic for people suffering from polio, Freidel's main focus is on Roosevelt's political career, Here the presidency takes center stage, as Freidel depicts Roosevelt as a cautious leader who often pursued contradictory policies in an effort to appeal to a broad range of constituencies. Though the prose is workmanlike, Freidel succeeds in summarizing the complex political maneuverings Roosevelt undertook in pursuit of his overall goals. All of this makes for a useful study of the 32nd.president, one that can still be read for its balanced, informative look at Roosevelt's life and career/