Franklin
and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, and the
Other Remarkable Women in His Life ,
by Joseph E. Persico (Read by Len Cariou)
It's hard to believe that Franklyn Delano
Roosevelt was known as an ineffective "mamma's
boy" by his adolescent and college peers. The man
who served multiple terms as President and led a country
out of the Great Depression and almost to the successful
conclusion of a world war is now seen as a strong ruler
despite his physical limitations. Perhaps his young
friends were not so far off the mark, though, because
Franklyn was greatly influenced by the strong women
in his life -- his mother, Sara, his wife, Eleanor,
and his mistresses, most notably Lucy Mercer Rutherford.
In Franklin & Lucy, Joseph E.
Persico outlines the events that led to Franklin's turning
to Lucy and other women during his lifetime. He describes
an authoritarian mother who was devoted to her only
child, Franklin, and used money and intimidation to
control as much of his life as she could. Although Eleanor
fell in love with the dashing Franklin and bore him
six children, she turned from him and pursued social
causes and female friendships when she suspected him
of infidelity. They remained strong supporters of each
other's programs and political activities, but looked
to others for love and comfort. Persico's straightforward
account of the decades long romance between Lucy Mercer
and FDR brings new insight about the man and his presidency.
Lucy may have been FDR's true love, but she was not
the only woman besides Eleanor who shared his affections.
Persico tastefully details other involvements and puts
them in historical perspective.
Joseph E. Persico is a respected historian
and scholar. As such, he presents FDR, Eleanor and their
contemporaries with knowledgeable accuracy. Len Cariou
reads the audio book with an uncanny ability to imitate
Eleanor's easily recognizable speech. His other characters
are distinctive, if less familiar. This is an excellent
addition to American history collections, because it
provides a new perspective to biographical coverage
of Franklin and Eleanor and helps listeners understand
and appreciate the motivation for their actions, both
personal and public.
Ruth
Mormon
7/11/08
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