First published 2014
Geoffrey C. Ward examines three members of America's most influential political dynasty across decades of national leadership. Theodore, Eleanor, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt each faced personal struggles that would have defeated weaker individuals. Ward draws on thirty years of research to reveal how these family members remained fundamentally united despite the bitter political divisions of their times. The author shows how each Roosevelt grappled with universal human challenges including anger, forgiveness, courage, fear, confidence, and self-doubt. Theodore's forceful personality, Eleanor's social conscience, and Franklin's wartime leadership all emerged from their ability to overcome significant personal obstacles. Ward argues that their shared family values transcended the partisan conflicts that surrounded them. This companion volume to the PBS documentary presents the Roosevelts as complex human beings rather than distant historical figures. The book demonstrates how one American family touched more lives than any other, leaving an enduring mark on the nation's political landscape.
Genres: 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: America, United States
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
528 pages · Hardcover · Knopf