Lexile: 1070 - Appropriate Grade Level: 9-12
Author Credibility: Russell Freedman has written several award winning non fiction books. Freedman also cites the references he used in researching the material used to write the book in acknowledgments and picture credits. These references include: The Bettmann Archive, Library of Congress, National Archives, Wide World Photos, and people that helped along the way. Several of these people he acknowledges work at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and the Roosevelt home.
Summary:
The book Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman gives the reader an in depth look at the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This book cronicles the life of Roosevelt using interesting easy to read text with photographs to give the reader a sense of who this man really was. The story begins with his life as a young, rich child. Throughout the book a emphasis is placed on the important role his parents played in his life. The story progresses through his school and college life. It tells of his love and marriage of his fifth cousin Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. The story provides an in depth look into how Roosevelt got into politics and his rise in the political realm. It vividly describes Roosevelt's battle with polio; he never gave up hope. His battle with polio changed his life. Franklin Delano Roosevelt also shows the reader just exactly what life was like during this time. It gives vivid description of the Great Depression and what people were going through. The book chronicles the steps Roosevelt took to get to the White House, starting with being elected governor of New York. Slowly Roosevelt worked his way into the White House. From there Freedman tells of the many things Roosevelt did as president. He shows both the good and the bad sides of Roosevelt's presidency by describing how his critics fealt and why they fealt this way. Freedman makes several references to Eleanor Roosevelt's important role during Mr. Roosevelt's presidency. The book also looks at the president's feelings and actions both before and during WWII. Finally the story is brought to a close as Roosevelt dies at his Warm Springs Cottage. It is almost ironic that the president died while preparing for an upcoming speech. He was a very hard working and determined man. As one can tell from the pictures and accounts of mourners he was greatly missed. People loved him and he made everyone feal important. The book ends with a list of places to visit, a photo album, and a list of other books about Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Standards:
This book will relate to American History Standards (presidents, Great Depression, our involvement in WWII) and World History Standards (brief overview of WWII)
Illustrations:
Throughout the book photographs are used to display the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. These photographs depict the different periods of his life. Captions under the photographs are used to describe what is happening in the picture.
Access Features:
Important access features in this book include a table of contents, an index, and author's notes
How I would use the book in my classroom:
I feel this book would be a great asset to a upper grade classroom's history research. If I was teaching this age I would have the students do research on several important presidents. The students could work in groups to research their president through reading. Another idea would be to use this book in a litature group discussion for a upper grade history class.
My reaction to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it very informative. I learned so much about the life of Franklin Roosevelt. The thing that impressed me most was his determination. Especially with his battle with polio. He never gave up. He kept pressing on finally becoming the president of the United States. He was not a perfect man, but he did give it his all. Through his battle with polio he saw and showed me that you can not always do everything yourself, you sometimes have to depend on other people to help you. I also really liked how Freedman showed the reader Eleanor Roosevelt's importance to her husband and to the presidency throughout the book. She was very involved and had a caring heart for people. She was Roosevelt's eyes and ears. It was very interesting to read about how many of the things we use today got started. For example, social security, minimum wage, the FDIC, etc. These are all important asspects of our lives today and it all started with Franklin Roosevelt.
Related Texts:
FDR: A Biography by Ted Morgan
FDR: An Intimate History by Nathan Miller
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox and Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom by James MacGregor Burns
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal by William E. Leuchtenburg
The Age of Roosevelt by Arthur M. Schlesinger
Franklin D. Roosevelt by Frank B. Freidel
A full list including books related to the various times of Roosevelt's life is included in Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman.
1 comment:
FDR was an amazing man--one who overcame much adversity. Based on my interpretation of Freedman's biography, Eleanor Roosevelt, it seems that she made huge contributions to FDR's presidency and his success. Almost every book I have read lately about civil rights refer to Eleanor Roosevelt. How much she did for people who had been oppressed. She was, indeed, The First Lady of the U.S.
The two made a good team even when the team was not on the best of terms. It seems that the good of the nation was more important than their problems with each other.
I need to read a book for adults about the Roosevelts to see what Freedman didn't write about them that may have been a bit much for the eyes of children.
By the way, I think that children as young as 5th grade could read and understand this book. This is the first year that American history is studied.
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