Alan Brinkley, former provost of Columbia University, talked about his book Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Oxford University Press, 2009). He recounts the life of the thirty-second president from his privileged childhood in upstate New York, to his education at Harvard, his brief law career, and his ascendancy to the presidency. Professor Brinkley recalls the three terms that President Roosevelt served in office and the many obstacles his administration faced, including the worst economic situation in modern American history. He responded to questions from members of the audience. This was the keynote address at the seventh annual Roosevelt Reading Festival, held by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center in Hyde Park, New York.