News Release

11/28/08 The Making of FDR – a discussion with author Linda Lotridge Levin at PPL Central Library January 5

PPL’s History High Jinks Book Club presents Rhode Island author of The Making of FDR: Stephen T. Early, America’s First Modern Press Secretary Linda Lotridge Levin on Monday, January 5 at 6:30 pm at Providence Public Library’s Central Library, 150 Empire Street (Barnard Room, 3rd Floor). The discussion is free; however, reservations are required. Order your book in advance and reserve your seat by contacting group leader Nancy Callanan: nancycallanan@cox.net; 401-787-4152. Books will be available December 1 at Central Library’s Circulation Desk.

You don’t have to be a club member to attend, but you must reserve a place; seating is limited. Attendees are strongly urged to finish Ms. Levin’s book before the discussion.

About the Book and Author
The Making of FDR is a long-overdue account of one of the last century’s most important government officials. Though practically unknown to the public today, FDR’s Press Secretary, Stephen T. Early, was one of the most influential men in mid-twentieth-century America. As FDR’s press secretary, he was chiefly responsible for getting the president’s message out and helping shape Roosevelt’s image through the dramatic years of the Great Depression and World War II. However, he also reshaped a routine White House briefing function into a modern, high-visibility role using print journalism and, for the first time, radio and newsreels. Among his most important contributions, Early helped the President create his famous “Fireside Chats,” a hallmark of the Depression era and wartime America.

Lotridge Levin chronicles Early’s life-long loyalty to Roosevelt and their close but sometimes-tumultuous personal and professional relationship, from Roosevelt’s appearance on the political stage as a New York delegate, to the 1912 Democratic National Convention, and through his four terms as President. She offers many intriguing glimpses into the personalities within Roosevelt’s inner circle, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Louis Howe, Harry Truman, and many others.

Lotridge Levin is a Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism at URI. She has authored Mass Communication Law in Rhode Island; To Understand: The History of a 10-Year Dialogue Between New England and Soviet Editors; and Rhode Island: The Independent State; as well as numerous articles in The Providence Journal and other publications.