TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Author Brands seeks to explore the question of why Franklin Roosevelt, a man born to wealth and the upper class, would become such a champion for the underclass and the economically dispossessed. While the author traces the answer to FDR's battle with polio, the main focus of the book is to offer a solid one-volume biography of the president. Patrick Egan takes an almost conversational tone in the narration, which makes the material flow. He uses just enough changes in tone to create variety without affectation. To his credit, he doesn't try to imitate FDR's voice, even in direct quotes. The abridgment is seamless, and no significant moments in his life are omitted. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]