It's about a thrilling period in American history. We were facing our worst crisis since the Civil War, and [Roosevelt] managed, through an astonishing act of leadership to, I argue, save both capitalism and democracy in just a few weeks.
Luther T. Farrell is 15, smart and ambitious, but stuck in Flint, Michigan where he lives with his mom, a loan shark nicknamed The Sarge. Will he ever realize his dream of getting to Harvard? Luther's the hero of Christopher Paul Curtis' novel for young adults.