20th century biographies

"This...compact biography chronicles Franklin Delano Roosevelt's rise from a childhood of privilege to a presidency that forever changed the face of international diplomacy, the American party system, and the government's role in global and domestic policy. Brinkley...provides a clear, concise introduction to Roosevelt's sphinx-like character and remarkable achievements. In a vivid narrative packed with telling anecdotes, the book moves swiftly from Roosevelt's youth in upstate New York--characterized by an aristocratic lifestyle of trips to Europe and private tutoring--to his schooling at Harvard, his brief law career, and his initial entry into politics. From there, Brinkley chronicles Roosevelt's rise to the presidency, a position in which FDR remained until death, through an unparalleled three-plus terms in office. Throughout the book, Brinkley elegantly blends FDR's personal life with his professional one, providing a lens into the President's struggles with polio and his somewhat distant relationship with the first lady. Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the United States through the worst economic crisis in the nation's history and through the greatest and most terrible war ever recorded. His extraordinary legacy remains alive in our own troubled new century as a reminder of what bravery and strong leadership can accomplish."--Publisher description.

Traces the life of the American pilot who was the first to fly the Atlantic Ocean, and later became a controversial figure because of his political views and his efforts to keep the United States out of World War II.

“Letters and experiences of the courageous girl, blind and deaf from infancy, who educated herself despite these handicaps.” — A.L.A. Catalog 1926 “The book is indeed unique. The story itself and the years of effort which have made its telling possible, the personality which it reveals, and the creation of that personality,—these are things which seem little short of miraculous. The narrative of a young woman who has been deaf and blind from infancy is written in a style which is not only idiomatic, but individual and rhythmical. As one reads, one forgets to make allowances for limitations which are apt to slip out of sight, until a chance phrase recalls one with a start to the realization that the mind which deals so freely and normally with the ordinary factors of human life dwells forever in silence and the dark.” – Standard Catalog for Public Libraries : Biography Section (1927)