FDR Biographies

[JM]

I'm looking for an even handed bio on FDR, any suggestions?

 

[Prufrock]

Whatever biographical work you do read of him, be sure to balance it with this treatment by Burt Folsom, New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America Although, I may be slightly biased with respect to this book since he was a professor of mine. At the least, it can't be ignored in studying FDR.

 

[Laura]

It isn't a bio, but Jonah Goldberg talks quite a bit about FDR in his book Liberal Fascism. As you can guess, any bias there is conservative. Here's a preview.

 

[JM]

Read it!

http://www.puritanboard.com/f29/liberal-fascism-secret-history-american-left-33567/

 

[Hamalas]

I'll ask my history professor and let you know what he suggests. He is very conservative but does a wonderful job of taking a balanced approach to history. I'll get back with you.

 

[Theognome]

Carry a Big Stick by George Grant does offer some comparatives between the two Roosevelts, but it's from a very conservative position and offers little biographical data on FDR.

Theognome

 

[Hamalas]

Here is what my Professor wrote back:

Hi, Ben.

I don't know of one I can recommend. I have used Patrick J. Maney's The Roosevelt Presence: A Biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1992) in my classes before, but that is because Maney's book [a] is concise and both praises and criticizes FDR.

Dr. Spinney

 

[JM]

Most of the bios I've seen so far just idolize FDR.