The grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President, and Eleanor Roosevelt, President's wife, Curtis Roosevelt was three when his parents were divorced. His grandmother offered the White House as a residence for their daughter, Sara, and her two young children.

This is an endearing snapshot of formative years spent at the White House, and Hyde Park with his mother, sister, grandparents, and his great grandmother Sara Delano Roosevelt. He and his sister were part and parcel of the White House life, included in many photo shoots, they wee also in the public eye.

It is obvious he loves his Grandfather who with his sparkling eyes and ability to enter the world of children. His thoughts of his grandmother Eleanor are of a cold, difficult woman who could not love, or express affection. His great grandmother provided a large amount of attention and he loved her dearly.

As he ages, Curtis perception notes all was not well with his grandparent's relationship, and the never ending tension between Eleanor and his great grandmother caused a dulling of the patina.

There are many wonderful photos of life at the Whitehouse, and a few photos of his father who was dis banned from the family and could not enter the Whitehouse.

Curtis Roosevelt’s mother was the daughter of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. As a result of his parents' divorce and later domestic upsets, Curtis spent part of his childhood living with his famous grandparents, a resident of the White House . Now, from the perspective of his late seventies, Roosevelt looks back on his relationship with these as well as other relatives. It is an objective and thoughtful examination, but essentially the viewpoint of a child. What emerges is a rather sad portrait of a poor little rich boy adrift in a world where he understands little and can control nothing.

Not much that is new to us is revealed about the book’s famous subjects, and because the story ends when Curtis is still in his teens, even the fate of its main character is shrouded in the same shadows that darken his early life. The book is respectably well written and sincere in its tone. It provides enough moderately interesting details and photographs to keep you turning the pages. If you want a quick overview – a kind of People magazine introduction to Curtis and his notable circle -- this might just be the perfect book. And the appendix provides plenty of resources to tap if you’d like to pick up something substantial. ( )

The author (born Curtis Roosevelt Dall) is the oldest grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in 1930, he was three years old when FDR became President, and moved into the White House with his mother (recently separated from his father) and older sister. For the next 12 years, the author (nicknamed Buzz or Buzzie) spent a great deal of time in the White House. Even after his mother remarried and moved with her new husband to Seattle, the author and his sister spent most summers on the Roosevelt family estate at Hyde Park and the family often returned to the White House at Christmas. Relying on his memories and those of others, plus letters from the period, the author gives us an insider's view to life in the White House and life among the wealthy elite of that day. Well worth reading for anyone who lived through the Roosevelt years or anyone who has an interest in American history. ( )

Some interesting facts, but overall the author complains about his life and how his background precluded him from fitting in with "normal" people