FDRs Mentors, Michael J. Gerhardt
FDRs Mentors, Michael J. Gerhardt
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FDR's Mentors
Navigating the Path to Greatness

Author: Michael J. Gerhardt

Narrator: Danny Campbell

Unabridged: 13 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/30/2024


Synopsis

A unique and illuminating exploration of the key relationships that shaped Franklin Delano Roosevelt into one of America's most definitive leaders and impacted his influence on the world stage, from the acclaimed author of Lincoln's Mentors

Franklin Delano Roosevelt wasn't a born leader. He became one. As a boy he was in poor health, was insecure, and an average student at best. Growing into manhood, the lessons he learned came not from books but from influencers of his lifetime, beginning with Endicott Peabody, the most renowned US headmaster of the twentieth century. He instilled in Roosevelt a confidence and strength that empowered the young student and propelled him to greatness as one of the most revered presidents of the United States.

For Roosevelt, Peabody was only one of a small number of people who helped him develop the skills and temperament that enabled him to overcome the devastating effects of polio, to lead the nation through two crises, and to secure America's leadership in the world. In FDR's Mentors, Michael Gerhardt tells the extraordinary stories of the men and women who had a vital impact on Roosevelt's life, career, and pragmatic personality: his distant cousin Teddy; his wife Eleanor; President Woodrow Wilson; journalist Lewis Howe; Winston Churchill; and New York Democratic Party leader Al Smith.

About Michael J. Gerhardt

Michael J. Gerhardt is the Burton Craig Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Scholar in Residence at the National Constitution Center, and the acclaimed author of nonfiction books including FDR's Mentors, Lincoln's Mentors, The Federal Impeachment Process, and The Power of Precedent. A nationally recognized constitutional scholar who has testified more than twenty times before Congress, he was called by the House Judiciary Committee during President Trump's impeachment proceedings, spoke to the House of Representatives during President Clinton's impeachment, and twice served as CNN's impeachment expert. In addition, he was the first legal scholar to serve as the Library of Congress's principal adviser in revising the official annotation of the United States Constitution. He lives with his family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angie on January 23, 2025

Many thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book I received in a giveaway. All opinions are my own. This is impeccably researched and quite comprehensive; it probably could've been double the length and gone into even greater detail about the various mentors and confidants FDR had throughout his......more

Goodreads review by Sherry on May 22, 2024

This was a very interesting, intriguing, historical read! I enjoyed the pictures shared in the book also. Pictures can tell a lot!......more

Goodreads review by Levi on February 04, 2025

Michael J. Gerhardt’s FDR’s Mentors bills itself as an exploration of the people who shaped Franklin D. Roosevelt, but that premise barely survives the first 100 pages. After a promising start, the book abandons its focus on mentorship and morphs into a run-of-the-mill biography. If the author wante......more

Goodreads review by SydnieRaeDaile on June 05, 2024

Writing this with a caveat, in that I have not and do not normally read biographies and only read this one as I won it from a Goodreads giveaway. I will give credit to the author for the immense amount of research that he must have undertaken to write this book. However I found it occasionally a li......more

Goodreads review by Vickie on July 13, 2024

This is a great book for anyone that loves history, biographies, or politics. Reading this book, one realizes that truly great Presidents are not brought up in a vacuum but have a group of people that influence them on the way to that station. FDR had many mentors, some less well-known now, but none......more