Franklin and Lucy

Joseph E. Persico's newest book, "Franklin and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherford and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life" is sure to attract the attention of FDR scholars. Using a brilliant stock of apparently little-seen letters (until now), Persico sketches a picture of a powerful man with a powerful need for love, especially from strong females, perhaps not unlike his own mother. In Persico's work, it is easy to see how so many people could be so easily seduced by Roosevelt: with his charm and boundless confidence, he was undoubtedly a magnet for many.

It is indeed fascinating to read Persico's re-telling of many of the events of Roosevelt's life that may have shaped his psyche, and added to his need for constant change, constant attention, and intimate relationships, which really may have had little to do with physical intimacy.

The first half of the book's title, and cover art, may seem misleading; upon first glance, it would appear that the biography of FDR and his cache of female companions is actually centered around a juicy relationship with his former secretary, Lucy Mercer. The sub-title of this book would have better served its contents with a more general description of the book's many subjects. Lucy Rutherford (nee Lucy Mercer) shows up surprisingly little in the book, considering she is its namesake. She comes in late, and is absent throughout many episodes, during which Persico hypothesizes as to her locations and how Roosevelt may have felt about her absence. Persico shares an interesting take on FDR's alleged conversation with his wife Eleanor, in which he reportedly asked point-blank for a divorce. In most biographies of the two, there is no definitive moment in which FDR is known to have asked for the split, though it is widely assumed that the moment Eleanor found out about the affair, was the moment the matrimonial bliss died.

The biographical sketch is divided among a cast of varying characters, with ample room given to nearly all family members of relevant parties. This works to advantage to give a fuller psychological picture of FDR and his companions, and what may have truly drove them. A psychological and sociological study of former President Franklin Roosevelt, and the shared and separate lives he led with Eleanor Roosevelt, Lucy Rutherford and other women, this is a good read for history buffs of FDR and his period of history.