A brilliant look at how the indomitable and enlightened Louis Howe became the mega-advisor of the Roosevelt Clan.

In 1921, FDR had just lost an election as VP candidate with Governor Cox against Harding, he was overcome by an illness that left him paralyzed from the waist down, and his marriage was on the rocks. He retired to his home in Hyde Park with his wife Eleanor and an ever-present advisor, Louis Howe. With her signature insight, Julie Fenster presents a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of the world of the Roosevelts in a critical time, taking readers inside this peculiar arrangement and revealing how this intimate friendship lead to the resurgence of FDR. Eleanor Roosevelt, too, would never be the same again. Their son Elliott said, "The person who was most responsible for the development of my mother's personality was Louis Howe, as he was of my father. He was a man that gave my father the iron will and the ability to move ahead politically, which I don't think he would have ever done on his own. Louis Howe was probably the greatest influence on both my father and my mother's lives."

Curtis Roosevelt was three when he and his sister, Eleanor, arrived at the White House soon after their grandfather’s inauguration. The country’s “First Grandchildren,” a pint-sized double act, they were known to the media as “Sistie and Buzzie.”In this rich memoir, Roosevelt brings us into “the goldfish bowl,” as his family called it—that glare of public scrutiny to which all presidential households must submit. He recounts his misadventures as a hapless kid in an unforgivably formal setting and describes his role as a tiny planet circling the dual suns of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.Blending self-abasement, humor, awe and affection,Too Close to the Sunis an intimate portrait of two of the most influential and inspirational figures in modern American history—and a thoughtful exploration of the emotional impact of growing up in their irresistible aura.

"A stimulating and original survey of the political impact of FDR's image on his successors in the White House."--Foreign Affairs

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 presidential historian Michael J. Gerhardt, the acclaimed author of Lincoln’s Mentors and principal adviser in the official annotation of the Constitution at the Library of Congress. 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. Form the creation of the New Deal through Roosevelt’s war with the Supreme Court to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt persevered with never-ending grit, grace, limitless optimistism, and patience. It is thanks to the invaluable personal connections, inspiration, and wisdom of those who shaped and informed FDR’s historic presidency—one that has become a model of resilience and, in turn, an influence on every president who has followed in his path.

Black shows how Eleanor Roosevelt, after being freed from the constraints imposed by her role in the White House, eagerly expanded her career and unabashedly challenged both the Democratic party and American liberals to practice what they preach.

The importance of Franklin D. Roosevelt's thinking on international relations is self-evident. The truly enormous volume of historical writing on his views regarding U.S. foreign policy as president is testament to the momentous period during which he held office. Yet no consensus has emerged on what these views were: was he an internationalist or nationalist, passive or active towards world affairs, predominantly an idealist or realist in his philosophy and even whether he was an egregious political opportunist. This work offers an original intervention into this controversial debate by carefully examining the neglected development of FDR's views in the years before he became president. Using long-neglected or misread sources from FDR's early life and career, the work provides a timely clarification of a period that has, until now, been ignored, misunderstood or covered only in passing by historians.