The Man He Became, James Tobin
The Man He Became, James Tobin
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The Man He Became
How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency

Author: James Tobin

Narrator: Charles Constant

Unabridged: 11 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/12/2013

Synopsis

When polio paralyzed Franklin Roosevelt at the age of thirty-nine, people wept to think that the young man of golden promise must live out his days as a helpless invalid. He never again walked on his own. But in just over a decade, he regained his strength and seized the presidency.

This was the most remarkable comeback in the history of American politics. And, as author James Tobin shows, it was the pivot of Roosevelt's life—the triumphant struggle that tempered and revealed his true character. With enormous ambition, canny resourcefulness, and sheer grit, FDR willed himself back into contention and turned personal disaster to his political advantage. Tobin's dramatic account of Roosevelt's ordeal and victory offers central insights into the forging of one of our greatest presidents.

About James Tobin

James Tobin is an associate professor of journalism at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A former prizewinning reporter, he earned a PhD in history from the University of Michigan. His first book, Ernie Pyle's War, won the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of To Conquer the Air, Great Projects, and First to Fly.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede on March 17, 2017

Franklin D. Roosevelt was 39 years old when he was stricken with infantile paralysis (polio). Just one day he couldn’t stand up anymore and the hope for a fast recovery faded fast when he just got worse and the doctor had no clue to what had stricken him and, in the end, misdiagnosed him. Precious t......more

Goodreads review by Jason on July 22, 2014

As a disabled individual with a deep interest in politics and a avid fascination in the study of the American Presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt has occupied a very special place in my heart for many, many years. It fascinates me just to think that less than a century ago this country faced (what see......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on January 07, 2017

"The guy never knows when he is licked." ~ Harry Hopkins on FDR "Because he had beaten his illness, Roosevelt thought that he could beat anything." ~ John Gunther James Tobin's new book The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency covers Franklin D. Roosevelt's life between 1921 when......more

Goodreads review by Ashleyjo on October 10, 2014

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book on Goodreads:) Honest review: Since I have long admired and read about FDR, I was excited to read "The Man He Became." Focus on this aspect of FDR's life is seldom written in detail. The author is on target in doing so and in recognizing how polio and the......more

Goodreads review by Jan C on July 15, 2021

Interesting book about FDR. Leaving us with the question: did he become president because of polio or in spite of it? Stricken by the dread disease at 39, he lost the use of his legs. Worked hard to try to get it back. Tobin implies he might have succeeded had he not succumbed to Gov. Alfred Smith's......more

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