Very well written & truly inspiring history of a famous man in the context of his time and associates. ( )

Very well written & truly inspiring history of a famous man in the context of his time and associates. ( )

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 time was wasted before another doctor recognized what ailed him and by then it was too late for Roosevelt to be able to walk again properly. He would have to rely on other people to support himself to stand, or a cane, leg braces or a wheelchair for the rest of his life.



Still, he became, in the end, the president of the United States.



I find Franklin D. Roosevelt's life fascinating and this book was a very interesting and well-written account of his life just before he was stricken with infantile paralysis, his period of illness and his struggle to walk again and reclaim his life and career again. I found the best part of the book was 2/3 of the book that focused on Roosevelt and how infantile paralysis struck him and how his life was forever changed because of it. The ending of the book was not bad; it was just a bit too much about politics for me. Besides learning more about Roosevelt was it interesting to learn more about infantile paralysis what a devastating illness it was. ( )

An excellent historical presentation of FDR from just before his attack of polio to just as he gets elected president. Without question, my biggest complaint is that the author stops way too soon. The narrative never lags. The author presents facts with an open mind to differing opinions. And he is quite convincing when he offers an opinion of his own. And perhaps more to the point of the book's subtitle, he presents information on acquiring and dealing with polio in a most comprehensive but never dry way, from both the patient's and doctor's point of view, as well as that of family and friends. Admittedly, most people who know something about Franklin Roosevelt, know it primarily from his days as President of the United States. Nevertheless, this felt like a captivating setup and play-by-play from a championship sporting event that occurred in the past, and then the book simply halts at half-time with the assumption that everybody already knows how the game ends. Keep writing! I would certainly read more of this very capable historian's work. ( )

I'm really surprised at how interesting the story came out. I thought that it would be deadly dull but informative, but instead it was very entertaining as well as giving a very interesting insight into FDR before and after polio.

It was extremely well written, never getting too technical but still giving a great deal of information as to the affliction and its results. ( )