The Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Presidential Library and Museum 

presents the 2023

Paul M. Sparrow Lecture:

a conversation and book signing

with Jonathan Darman author of

BECOMING FDR: THE PERSONAL 

CRISIS THAT MADE A PRESIDENT

Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 4PM

In-person: Wallace Center at the

FDR Presidential Library and Home

CLICK HERE to register

Online: Streamed live to

the official FDR Library

YouTube and Facebook accounts

HYDE PARK, NY -- The FDR Presidential Library and Museum will present the 2023 Paul M. Sparrow Lecture: a conversation and book signing with Jonathan Darman, author of BECOMING FDR: THE PERSONAL CRISIS THAT MADE A PRESIDENT, at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2023. The conversation will explore questions of crisis and character, and how leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt evolved over time. The event will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Library and streamed live to the official FDR Presidential Library YouTube and Facebook accounts. This is a free public event, but registration is required to attend in-person. CLICK HERE to register.

Synopsis:

In popular memory, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the quintessential political “natural.” Born in 1882 to a wealthy, influential family and blessed with an abundance of charm and charisma, he seemed destined for high office. Yet for all his gifts, the young Roosevelt nonetheless lacked depth, empathy, and an ability to think strategically. Those qualities, so essential to his success as president, were skills he acquired during his seven-year journey through illness and recovery.

BECOMING FDR traces the riveting story of the struggle that forged FDR’s character and political ascent. Soon after contracting polio in 1921 at the age of thirty-nine, the former failed vice-presidential candidate was left paralyzed from the waist down. He spent much of the next decade trying to rehabilitate his body and adapt to the stark new reality of his life. By the time he reemerged on the national stage in 1928 as the Democratic candidate for governor of New York, his character and his abilities had been transformed. He had become compassionate and shrewd by necessity, tailoring his speeches to inspire listeners and to reach them through a new medium -- radio. Suffering cemented his bond with those he once famously called “the forgotten man.” Most crucially, he had discovered how to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation -- a skill that he employed to motivate Americans through the Great Depression and World War II. The polio years were transformative, too, for Eleanor Roosevelt, who became, at first reluctantly, her husband's surrogate at public events, and who grew to become a political and humanitarian force in her own right.

Tracing the physical, political, and personal evolution of the iconic president, BECOMING FDR shows how adversity can lead to greatness, and to the power to remake the world.

Jonathan Darman is a journalist and historian who writes about American politics and the presidency. He is the author of LANDSLIDE: LYNDON JOHNSON AND RONALD REAGAN AT THE DAWN OF A NEW AMERICA and BECOMING FDR: THE PERSONAL CRISIS THAT MADE A PRESIDENT. As a former correspondent for Newsweek, Jonathan covered the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Mitt Romney and wrote extensively about other major figures in national politics and media. He is a frequent commentator on politics and presidential history on broadcast television, cable news and public radio. Jonathan is a graduate of Harvard College where he studied American history and literature. He lives in Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley.

Please contact Cliff Laube at (845) 486-7745 with questions about the event.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Presidential Library and Museum

Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit fdrlibrary.org.