Jonathan Darman | BECOMING FDR: The Personal Crisis that Made a President

At age 39, Franklin Roosevelt saw his life upended by a sudden, devastating infection from the polio virus. The catastrophic illness looked like the end of his political career. Instead, it made him into the man who could lead his country through its own darkest hours.

An intimate chronicle of FDR’s years of illness, recovery and return to the heights of power, BECOMING FDR is a fresh look at the iconic president, his family, and his rivals. It uncovers the clear and striking connection between his private struggles and his later public triumphs.

Jonathan Darman is a journalist and historian who writes about American politics and the presidency. His book Landslide: Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America told the story of a thousand transformative days in the 1960s through the eyes of two iconic American presidents. As a former national political 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 covered the 2004 presidential campaign for the magazine’s special election project, which garnered the National Magazine Award for Single Topic Issue. Jonathan has also appeared frequently as a commentator on politics and presidential history on broadcast television, cable news and public radio.