Book excerpt: Frederic C. Howe lived in interesting times. By education (at Johns Hopkins in the early 1890s) and instinct he was a progressive, in the best sense of that term. From the Cleveland of Tom Johnson to the Washington of FDR he "unlearned" his early predjudices and given values, yet "under the ruins" of it all he kept his idealism.Howe's autobiographical record was originally published in 1925. Out of print for some time, this book is now available in a paperback reprint, offering a new introduction by James F. Richardson, professor of history and urban studies at the University of Akron. Richardson's helpful analysis covers Howe's distinguished career in public life and evaluates his contributions to early twentieth-century America.