No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

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A compelling chronicle of a nation and its leaders during the period when modern America was created. With an uncanny feel for detail and a novelist's grasp of drama and depth, Doris Kearns Goodwin brilliantly narrates the interrelationship between the inner workings of the Roosevelt White House and the destiny of the United States. Goodwin paints a comprehensive, intimate portrait that fills in a historical gap in the story of our nation under the Roosevelts.

Book Description

No Ordinary Time is a monumental work, a brilliantly conceived chronicle of one of the most vibrant and revolutionary periods in the history of the United States. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin masterfully weaves together a striking number of story lines--Eleanor and Franklin's marriage and remarkable partnership, Eleanor's life as First Lady, and FDR's White House and its impact on America as well as on a world at war. Goodwin effectively melds these details and stories into an unforgettable and intimate portrait of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt and of the time during which a new, modern America was born.

Customer Reviews:

Well written, high level look at FDR's later Years.......2007-09-23

Having read many of the reviews written here, I think that it is important to first state that I am very conservative both economically and politically. Having said that, I want to make sure that it is understood that I am not judging the FDR Presidency, just this book.

This is my first real historical look at this time frame in American history and I felt that this book was a very good start from which to look into other avenues of interest during the war years. It is important to keep in mind that the earlier FDR years do not come into the focus of this work. This would not be a good book to judge FDR and the New Deal. It sticks with the years 1940 until FDR's death in 1945.

The book is well written and easy to read. It definitely lacks an in depth look at the "whys" of the FDR decision process. I would have liked to have learned more about the actual war decisions, but in reading the subthe title of the book, it is clear that the focus is about the homefront, not necessarily the war efforts abroad. The internal fighting and family relationships are discussed at length. Eleanor is given a front and center position in this work. I really would have liked to see more of FDR and how the decisions for various strategies were found.

There is a liberal bias to the book, but maybe that's my conservative stance showing. Nothing is mentioned in the book other than two sentences about Vice President Wallace. FDR is made to be a Superman, when it could have been read as FDR was merely a dictator that was elected. Without the effect of the decision process, the impression is that all decisions were FDR's alone. And while that may have been the case, the book never clearly states the way many of these ideas came to pass. This book leaves me the impression that much of FDR's time was spent polling the public and then fitting that knowledge into a decision.

So yes the book does have weaknesses in my opinion. But the strength of the book is the look at FDR the person. He was a solitary figure that needed a strong group of friends to humor him and help him through a truly horrific time in American history. His family life was a mess - he and Eleanor going in different directions with the purpose of staying apart. But the main thing I took from this work was that FDR gave the country hope. He never said quit, no matter the odds or obstacles. Was he a great President? This book is a very small piece of that puzzle.

No Ordinary Viewpoint.......2007-09-03

This was a very enjoyable and well written historical account of America during World War II, through the prism of the relationship between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Goodwin's great strength, it seems to me, is to find a really refreshing angle to look at a well documented subject, often by examining the subject's most important personal relationships. She did the same thing in her Lincoln book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by examining the way Lincoln put together a strong cabinet, while still remaining a strong executive.

In this book she focuses on the Roosevelts during World War II, as FDR rallied a totally unprepared nation to become, first the arsenal of democracy, and then to enter the war against both Germany and Japan.

From my point of view I would have preferred more Franklin and less Eleanor. Ms. Goodwin notes several critics dismissing Eleanor as a meddling nag, and at times the criticism has merit. Franklin's demeanor, whether he is holding court at press conferences or White House cocktail hours, is much more enjoyable to be around. And you do, thanks to the lively writing, have a "you are there" feeling throughout this book.

Extrordinary Leaders for "No Ordinary Time".......2007-08-09

I loved this book. In it, Kearns-Goodwin recreates the time frame 1939-1945 like no other book I have read. The Roosevelts, long in power and struggling to overcome personal/physical difficulties, rise to the occasion like few leaders before them. Both children of privilege, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt took on their personal demons (his polio and her, at first, paralyzing shyness) to save the nation. Already dealing with the Great Depression, they were the public face of the war effort. How easy it would have been for FDR to overreach his power (in both the Depression and WWII). Although he was restricted by an isolationist Congress before the attack on Pearl Harbor,he persuaded Congress to ok Lend-Lease, and developed a plan with Churchill (and later Stalin) that eventually led to total victory. While he made some mistakes (internment of Japanese Americans, for example), his optimistic and winning public style balanced nicely with a keen understanding of the power he wielded. Eleanor, for her part, became the paralyzed president's spokesman around the world and at home. She also pushed domestic policy in a way that kept things like civil rights, help for the poor and needy, and better working conditions for labor on the front burner despite the efforts to win the war. Kearns-Goodwin covers it all, including the personal struggles of the First Couple. After it all, they emerge as extraordinary leaders for "no ordinary time". Few have equaled them before or since.

Not my type of book .......2007-06-29

Packed with information on every aspect of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt during the WWII timeframe, this book is a history lovers dream. Unfortunately, I am no history lover. I became glossy-eyed when fine details were being mentioned about everyday activities. I felt that the book strayed from the main story and gave too much supporting detail. Yet, as is with all of the history books that I marginally enjoy, I learned quite a bit of information that I would never have gained otherwise. I was amazed to learn about how separate the Roosevelt's actually were as a couple and FDR's continued relationship with Lucy Rutherford. I also gained insight into how much Eleanor helped to spur the rights for blacks and women with her forward thinking. Eleanor and Franklin's separation as a couple was shadowed by their strength in bringing a nation out of depression and forming our current business environment. I was also surprised to see the extent in which Franklin relaxed. There wasn't a chapter where Franklin didn't either drive around Hyde Park, cruise on the Potomac, or spend time in his "Little White House" in Warm Springs. This was a man who knew what taking it easy was all about.

A glimpse of my grandparents.......2007-06-09

I am a college student. Before reading this book I barely knew who FDR was, let alone why his terms in office were so important. I traveled to Hawaii shortly after reading this book to visit Pearl Harbor because I was so moved by the book. I feel like I understand my grandparents generation a little better now and truly want to thank them for all they have done.
Overall, a terrific read. The author did a wonderful job of sharing the unique relationship between FDR and Churhill. I was also impressed with the author's knowledge of the homefront, instead of just all of the famous battles. Everyone should read this book.

The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume II (The Age of Roosevelt)

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Franklin Roosevelt: A Great Man

The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume II (The Age of Roosevelt)
Jr.", Arthur M. "Schlesinger
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618340866

Book Description

The Coming of the New Deal, 1933-1935, volume two of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.'s Age of Roosevelt series, describes Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first tumultuous years in the White House. Coming into office at the bottom of the Great Depression, FDR told the American people that they have nothing to fear but fear itself. The conventional wisdom having failed, he tried unorthodox remedies to avert economic collapse. His first hundred days restored national morale, and his New Dealers filled Washington with new approaches to recovery and reform. Combining idealistic ends with realistic means, Roosevelt proposed to humanize, redeem, and rescue capitalism. The Coming of the New Deal, written with Schlesinger's customary verve, is a gripping account of critical years in the history of the republic.

Customer Reviews:

Franklin Roosevelt: A Great Man.......2006-08-29

Arthur M. Schlesinger wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning series on "The Age of Roosevelt" almost a half-century ago. This volume is the middle volume of that trilogy, covering the period 1933-1935.

In assessing Roosevelt's role only a generation removed from the activity itself, Schlesinger chose to utilize Plutarch's approach of evaluating the man and his character to see how history developed.

Schlesinger takes into account much more than just Franklin Roosevelt; he looks at the supporting cast of the FDR administration as well. By evaluting primarily Roosevelt, his cabinet, and his advisors, Schlesinger has given us a fabulous biographical view into the decision making of the first few years of the New Deal era.

Schlesinger has opted to take a primarily topic based approach rather than a chronological approach to addressing the major issues faced by the administration during these years. The primary areas he looks at are agriculture, industry, economics, social relief, labor, conservatism, and the start of the "imperial" Presidency. By evaluating each of these topics using a person-based approach, the reader is able to garner an understanding of why the Roosevelt administration was so successful in its efforts to combat the fear prevalent in America at this time. When FDR told America in his first inagural address that "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." he truly meant that he wanted to make his administration an effort to conquer the concerns ravaging Americans.

By evaluating individuals rather than just events, Schlesinger has presented the reader with a biographical sense of why each initiative was undertaken, and that FDR was not afraid of "failure" - if an effort did not pan out, he simply discarded it and tried something different to solve the problem.

This book certainly is not about the long-term effects of the New Deal, nor does it give us tremendous background on all of the individual efforts of the Roosevelt administration to beat the Depression, but it isn't really meant to. The book accomplishes everything the author has set forth to achieve, and is a spectacular read.

FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression

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An unique read
Excellent research tool
One of the Worst We've Ever Had
Sets the Record Straight
Not all revisionism is wrong..

FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression
Jim Powell
Manufacturer: Crown Forum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0761501657
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Book Description

“Admirers of FDR credit his New Deal with restoring the American economy after the disastrous contraction of 1929—33. Truth to tell–as Powell demonstrates without a shadow of a doubt–the New Deal hampered recovery from the contraction, prolonged and added to unemployment, and set the stage for ever more intrusive and costly government. Powell’s analysis is thoroughly documented, relying on an impressive variety of popular and academic literature both contemporary and historical.”
– Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate, Hoover Institution

“There is a critical and often forgotten difference between disaster and tragedy. Disasters happen to us all, no matter what we do. Tragedies are brought upon ourselves by hubris. The Depression of the 1930s would have been a brief disaster if it hadn’t been for the national tragedy of the New Deal. Jim Powell has proven this.”
– P.J. O’Rourke, author of Parliament of Whores and Eat the Rich

“The material laid out in this book desperately needs to be available to a much wider audience than the ranks of professional economists and economic historians, if policy confusion similar to the New Deal is to be avoided in the future.”
– James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate, George Mason University

“I found Jim Powell’s book fascinating. I think he has written an important story, one that definitely needs telling.”
– Thomas Fleming, author of The New Dealers’ War

“Jim Powell is one tough-minded historian, willing to let the chips fall where they may. That’s a rare quality these days, hence more valuable than ever. He lets the history do the talking.”
–David Landes, Professor of History Emeritus, Harvard University

“Jim Powell draws together voluminous economic research on the effects of all of Roosevelt’s major policies. Along the way, Powell gives fascinating thumbnail sketches of the major players. The result is a devastating indictment, compellingly told. Those who think that government intervention helped get the U.S. economy out of the depression should read this book.”
– David R. Henderson, editor of The Fortune Encyclopedia of Economics and author of The Joy of Freedom

The Great Depression and the New Deal. For generations, the collective American consciousness has believed that the former ruined the country and the latter saved it. Endless praise has been heaped upon President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for masterfully reining in the Depression’s destructive effects and propping up the
country on his New Deal platform. In fact, FDR has achieved mythical status in American history and is considered to be, along with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents of all time. But would the Great Depression have been so catastrophic had the New Deal never been implemented?

In FDR’s Folly, historian Jim Powell argues that it was in fact the New Deal itself, with its shortsighted programs, that deepened the Great Depression, swelled the federal government, and prevented the country from turning around quickly. You’ll discover in alarming detail how FDR’s federal programs hurt America more than helped it, with effects we still feel today, including:

• How Social Security actually increased unemployment
• How higher taxes undermined good businesses
• How new labor laws threw people out of work
• And much more

This groundbreaking book pulls back the shroud of awe and the cloak of time enveloping FDR to prove convincingly how flawed his economic policies actually were, despite his good intentions and the astounding intellect of his circle of advisers. In today’s turbulent domestic and global environment, eerily similar to that of the 1930s, it’s more important than ever before to uncover and understand the truth of our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it.

Customer Reviews:

An unique read.......2007-07-08

This is a good book for everyone. It gives a perspective that you don't see often in history books about President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since FDR was a great president, it's easy to write a pro-FDR history book but this book points out the flaws in FDR's policies and how the New Deal did not actually end the Great Depression. Personally, I am a fan of FDR and his policies but he was not perfect, nor were all his programs perfect. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in reading more about FDR and getting many different perspectives.

Excellent research tool .......2007-06-09

I have researched many sources to learn and document the real facts of FDR's influence on the Great Depression's recovery. This book is the best source yet. It discloses and explains FDR's socialist policies that delayed the recovery and that gave socialism it's stronghold in the USA. Great source to use to discuss with those that think FDR is a saint and who are class warfare believers.

One of the Worst We've Ever Had.......2007-06-09

It is a common trait of human nature to judge people and events within the limited historical scope of their own lifetimes. We tend to think of things in absolutes (e.g. - "It's never been this bad" or "he's the worst president ever,") because we have no historical context in which to properly judge the actual significance of a person or an event that we personally experience. As a result, we tend to take on faith the judgment of "experts" about those people and events that lie outside of our own personal experience. Unless we actually take the time and effort to investigate an historical person or event for ourselves, we will always tend to agree with the "general consensus."

Jim Powell's "FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression" is one of those historical sources that will change your opinion from that of the "general consensus" that FDR is one of the top five American presidents to something appropriately lower. In this rigorously cited work, Powell presents evidence that FDR's New Deal, far from helping the country recover from the Great Depression, actually extended and exacerbated it.

Powell begins by introducing the FDR's main actors who collectively constructed the New Deal. Almost to a man, they were ambitious, arrogant Ivy Leaguers who thought they knew better how to control an economy than the millions of citizens who daily executed informed economic choices in a free market. As Powell explains, "some New Dealers were outright socialists" who rejected free market economics. Indeed, Chamber of Commerce president, Henry Harriman, typified this attitude when he declared that "laissez-faire must be replaced by a philosophy of planned national economy." Powell also relates how "many people in FDR's administration especially admired Italian fascism."

Powell then addresses several aspects of the New Deal with chapter titles that are questions such as "Why Did FDR Seize Everybody's Gold?," "Why Did the New Dealers Destroy All That Food When People Were Hungry?" and "How Did New Deal Labor Laws Throw People Out of Work?" Then, with sound economic analysis, backed by facts and citations, Powell meticulously describes how New Deal policies made things worse instead of better.

New Deal policies consisted of higher taxes, minimum wages, price controls, production limits and myriad other things that were exactly the wrong things to do to bring about economic recovery. Many of these policies were so-called "experiments," but as Powell writes, "Such policies were `experiments' only to the degree that New Dealers were ignorant about what had been tried and failed before." New Deal policies also assaulted individual liberty and economic freedom. Indeed, in April of 1934, Jacob Maged "was jailed for three months and fined for charging 35 cents to press a suit, rather than the 40 cents mandated by the NRA dry cleaning code." Powell summarizes, "Wherever there is dictatorial power over an economy, wherever economic liberty is denied, people are sure to be suffering agonies of the damned. New Dealers assumed that individual rights, private property, and economic liberty were obstacles to recovery, but they are essential."

Particularly disturbing during this time was FDR's encroachment on constitutional freedoms. Many today accuse George W. Bush of being a dictator, but Bush can't hold a candle to the imperial presidency of FDR. As Powell explains, "...FDR was impatient with American democracy, and he issued an extraordinary number of executive orders - 3728 altogether - which is more than all the executive orders issued by his successors Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton combined." Many of these had the power of law behind them, effectively circumventing the legislature. FDR's assault on constitutional liberty was so severe, that in a November 1941 "Fortune" magazine poll "93 percent of employers said they expected their property rights to be undermined and also anticipated the possibility of a dictatorship."

Powell's book conclusively proves that the New Deal was an economic and civil rights disaster whose effects are still being felt today. FDR and his administration, arrogant in their ignorance, committed the cardinal sin of thinking they knew better than all those who had gone before. The sheer destructiveness of FDR's assault on freedom and his economic incompetence disqualifies him from the top five of "general consensus" and rightly places him near the bottom of American presidents.

Sets the Record Straight.......2007-02-16

What ended the Great Depression was not the New Deal, but instead World War II. However, both liberals and neoconservatives alike have taken as gospel the idea that massive governmental intervention are good for the economy.

As Jim Powell in FDR's Folly makes clear, the New Deal was an unmitigated disaster in its own right. The agricultural policy was a total bust. The unprecedented tax rates drained investment capital out of the economy. The New Deal programs were basically boondoggles with the much ballyhooed Tennessee Valley Authority being rife with corruption.

Jim Powell's FDR's Folly should be required reading in American classrooms.

Not all revisionism is wrong.........2007-01-11

After reading most of these reviews, I feel hard put to place anything new on this book here. The subject matter is important and seems to be finally getting the attention it needs. FDR's false legacy of caring and supreme competence is finally getting the scrutinty needed to be laid to rest. The Great Depression would have simply been another temporary blip like the other half dozen or so in American history EXCEPT the worshippers of government had gotten the reins of power.

Mr.Powell takes each one of the various programs of FDRs and tears them apart. Copiously footnoted, the details are gathered here and show the failure of the entire government intervention for the period. And as others noted, Mr. Hoover gets laid to waste and deservedly so for his part in the whole mess.

Economists have long had a problem with the FDR savior legend, historians now seem to finally be joining in to give him a long overdue come uppenace. I will have my teaching degree next year and plan on letting my students know the true story of FDR's mismanagement-we'll see how long I'm allowed to teach that however!

Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Man, the Myth, the Era, 1882-1945 (Contributions in Political Science)

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Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Man, the Myth, the Era, 1882-1945 (Contributions in Political Science)

Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313259496

Book Description

Drawn from the Hofstra University series of Presidential conferences, this volume collects a diverse set of essays that explore the life and times of Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Treated in depth here are Roosevelt's political beginnings and his life as a politician, the tumultuous World War II years, the New Deal and its legacy, and the political emergence of Eleanor Roosevelt in an era that saw few women in public life. Among the contributors are such distinguished Roosevelt scholars as Frank Friedel, Nathan Miller, D.K. Adams, Sheldon Neuringer, and Daniel Fusfeld. By combining critical assessments with friendly commentary and treating historically vital subjects along with more personal and intimate matters, this book presents a more complete picture of a man whose impact is still felt today than is usually available.

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The New Deal (American History Series)
Paul Keith Conkin
Manufacturer: Harlan Davidson Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0882958895

Book Description

Demonstrating the intellectual excitement that is the practice of history at its best, Paul Conkin's The New Deal is still one of the best known titles in the very popular American History Series, edited by John Hope Franklin and A. S. Eisenstadt.

Book Description

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's marriage was famously difficult, and it is widely known that FDR enjoyed the company of women. But this remarkable book reveals a secret that has been carefully guarded for more than half a century: Roosevelt's closest companion during the last years of his life was his sixth cousin Margaret "Daisy" Suckley. FDR became friendly with Daisy in the 1920s and invited her to his first inauguration in 1933. The friendship deepened; then, on a September afternoon in 1935, their feelings for each other intensified dramatically. From that day until FDR's death in 1945, Daisy and the president were intimate companions. But the secret of this passionate relationship remained hidden until after Daisy's death in 1991, when her family found a battered suitcase under her bed. Stuffed inside were years of diaries and letters, including thirty-eight letters in FDR's own hand that no one had ever seen. Now Geoffrey Ward, the eminent historian and biographer, has woven th

Customer Reviews:

Interesting view of history.......2003-08-15

This is the story of Franklin Roosevelt's friendship with a distant cousin Daisy Suckley, based on journals long kept from the public by Daisy herself. It is fascinating for that story, but more so for the information it gives of a time in our history, when the President could leave the country and only those closest to him would know it. As Daisy relates the daily comings and goings of her life, she give us an intimate look at how Franklin Roosevelt managed to travel to secret meetings with other world leaders. She also lets us see Rosevelt's failing health and how his determination to win the war kept him going.

Geoffrey C. Ward's editing keeps the story moving. It may not be scholarly history, but it is a fascinating read for any history buff looking to understand the story behind the history.

An intimate portrait that does not sacrifice dignity.......1998-11-30

Having visited Ms. Suckley's home and the nearby Roosevelt home and library, I felt as though I were along for the ride as I read Daisy's accounts of their picnics and "tea dates" at various sites along the Hudson. In this day of "tell-all" books and seemingly unlimited voyeuristic snooping into Presidential private lives, this book was a pleasant departure from the norm. It also offered new insights into the life of a much-studied President, but one about whom there are still many unknowns. Margaret Suckley, even while preserving much of the account of her longstanding (but unknown to most contemporaries) relationship with FDR, took care to take the more private elements of their friendship to the grave.

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Good text
The New Deal Starter Book
Wonderful Intro to FDR & The New Deal
FANTASTIC!
The definitive work on the New Deal

Franklin D Roosevelt And The New Deal
William E. Leuchtenburg
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061330256

Customer Reviews:

Good text.......2007-07-03

This was used as a textbook in one of my college history courses and was pretty easy to follow. I enjoyed learning about this time period.

The New Deal Starter Book.......2006-06-20

In just 350 pages, Leuchtenburg somehow manages to tell the story of the New Deal. That he was able do this in such an entertaining and informative way should be studied by future authors of history of all sorts. There are many New Deal books, and several are well written (I like Kennedy and Schlesinger), but you won't get the maximum benefit out of them without previous reading - this is the place to start!

Wonderful Intro to FDR & The New Deal.......2005-10-26

I have very much enjoyed this book. It appears very objective - relatively speaking - and describes both the benefits and failures of the New Deal Economic policies and social advancement. It acknowledges the second crash of 1937 and the many problems incurred. And yet it does not deny the social progress that has helped millions of voices that were otherwise previously unheard in the political arena of American life.

The book takes on FDR and the New Deal Administration's efforts and set backs. It does however fail in the reasons of economics, the deeper structural reasons as to why many of the New Deal measures failed. The books does write of the Gold buying, the TVA, the higher taxes, the farm subsidies, relief efforts, the 100's of Acts, the Supreme Court decisions, the internal affairs and problems. What I especially enjoyed was the descriptions and political views of many of the other running mates as in Father Coughlin - a Yahoo, Huey Long and "Share the Wealth," Upton Sinclair, Merman, Wilkes - others and the political climate of socialism through out the country.

Immediately after reading this book, I began reading another book called "FDR's Folly," by Jim Powell, which is an anti-New Deal account with detailed analysis pertaining to the economic policies and their failures, written from a lazzaire-faire, Free Market, and Libertarian viewpoint - a bias account which supports the old two-class capitalism, and yet is also an excellent book. A good pro-New Deal on Social Security is Joe Cnason's "The Raw Deal." I recommend reading these books, as this one by William E. Leuchtenburg is more detailed in the social advancements as Powell's is more detailed on economics.

FANTASTIC!.......2005-02-27

Currently, I am writing an important A Level coursework essay on the effectiveness of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. This book is A BIBLE! Compared to other books, Leuchtenburg actually lists all his sources to the tiniest detail i.e. page which is really really good when you are trying to suggest you are using a wide range of sources. I would give this book 5 stars. The other book I was recommended was Anthony J. Badger 'The New Deal' it's good.. but nothing in comparisson, this book is much more helpful - a definate yes!

The definitive work on the New Deal.......2004-04-25

Historian William Leuchtenburg, one of the most prominent American scholars writing about America in the 1930s, wrote "Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1940" as a response to other researchers who "tended to minimize the significance of the changes wrought by the thirties." According to the author, these historians "have stressed, quite properly, the continuity between the New Deal reforms and those of other periods, and especially the many debts the New Dealers owed the progressives." Unfortunately, they "have too often obscured the extraordinary developments of the decade." Leuchtenburg's book examines the savage effects of the depression and the wild experimentation in the arenas of politics and society that the Roosevelt administration undertook to alleviate America's economic woes. Far from indulging in panegyric, the author takes care to expose Roosevelt's weaknesses and failings alongside the president's triumphs. The book marshals an impressive array of manuscripts from Roosevelt intimates and political associates, congressional papers, and published works to construct an intricate examination of the New Deal years.

The Great Depression was a horror that improved little after Roosevelt's election. The year 1932 was an unmitigated disaster for millions of Americans as the economy continued its downward spiral. The national income dropped to half of what it had been in 1929. Nine million savings accounts evaporated when banks closed. In New York City, a couple lived in a cave in Central Park for more than a year. Teachers in Chicago fainted in the classrooms from hunger. Farmers lost lands held by their families for generations because they could not earn enough money to pay their debts. Milo Reno's Farm Holiday Association refused to ship food, Wisconsin dairymen dumped milk on the side of the road, and farmers blocked the sales of foreclosed property. Coal miners in Pennsylvania bootlegged nearly $100,000 of coal a day from company owned fields. Every aspect of society faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and the country looked with weary eyes to President-elect Franklin Roosevelt for answers when he assumed office in March 1933. Leuchtenburg's book does as excellent a job summarizing the plight faced by every sector of American society as it does describing the president's initiatives to battle the innumerable difficulties.

While elections, political battles, and economic recovery programs fill most of the pages of the book, the author's greatest contribution to the study of 1930s American political life is his analysis of the forces driving President Roosevelt. For example, the book discerns two distinct public philosophies that drove the formation of New Deal policy. Leuchtenburg believes that Theodore Roosevelt's New Nationalism-carried on by men like Herbert Croly, Walter Lippmann, and Rexford Tugwell-was the most influential. So was Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, supported by Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter. Advocates of the former generally supported planned economies and were suspicious of free competition. The latter believed trust busting would return small businesses to prominence in America. The new nationalists largely presided over the early New Deal; the ideology of Brandeis and Frankfurter emerged later during the Second New Deal of 1935. Neither philosophy trumped the other, however, because Roosevelt never committed himself to either a planned economy or a return to small-scale business.

The president's assumption of the middle ground between the proponents of the New Nationalism and the New Freedom philosophies was, according to Leuchtenburg, typical Roosevelt. His personality played a large role in the direction the New Deal ultimately took. The chief executive often encouraged his subordinates to thrash out the details of a specific idea, allowed them to compete against each other, and then stepped in to shape the idea into final form. This aggressive competition led some to label the president a mediocre administrator who often procrastinated when faced with a serious challenge, a charge Leuchtenburg convincingly reputes. Rather, this "procrastination" was a way of "observing a trial by combat among rival theories" to see which idea was the best. For all of the dissension over economic proposals, Roosevelt's dynamic creativity and ability to attract scores of smart, talented men to Washington helped many New Deal ideas to succeed. While the president's personality led him to encourage a "combat of rival theories," the American public felt they knew a different Roosevelt; a warm, fatherly figure who tried to help each individual and who made the federal government accessible to the public.

A troubling omission is the wartime sedition trial of American far right figures. United States v. McWilliams, as the case was known, is relevant here because it evolved directly out of the far right's loathing of the president's New Deal policies. The government, at the president's insistence, charged the defendants with involvement in a worldwide Nazi conspiracy. When Attorney General Francis Biddle told Roosevelt that any charges filed against these individuals would violate first amendment protections, the chief executive was blithely unconcerned. He hounded Biddle constantly about the issue, and even kept a stack of far right publications in his desk drawer that he would pull out as "evidence" of the need for action. Historians Leo Ribuffo and Glen Jeansonne have rightly labeled the indictments and subsequent trial a sham, with Ribuffo going so far as to conclude that Roosevelt's prosecution set a precedent subsequently used to great effect against far left figures in the 1950s.

James Thomas Flexner, in his one volume biography of George Washington, claimed that America's first chief executive succeeded because he acted as a balance between the competing interests of Alexander Hamilton's Federalism and Thomas Jefferson's Republicanism. Leuchtenburg's book makes a similar claim for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In a time of great national stress a president arose who successfully put America on a path to stability by mediating between competing philosophies. Even though the book turned forty last year, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1940 is an erudite, single volume history that continues to stand as a definitive statement of the Roosevelt era.

Average customer rating:

Fast Paced Account of a Very Important President's Life

Not bad, but more "why" is needed

Benchmark FDR Biography by the Best FDR Historian

A good book, but disappointing.

Complete & complex.

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny
Frank Freidel
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316292613

Customer Reviews:

Fast Paced Account of a Very Important President's Life.......2006-07-15

Obviously, a life like Roosevelt's is hard to condense into just one book due to the breadth of its importance and his impact on U.S. history. FDR's complex personality makes it even more difficult. Frank Freidel does a pretty good job of it in "A rendezvous with Destiny." The book starts with a brief look at FDR's early life, and ends with his death just after Yalta. The bulk of the book covers his political years.

I really liked Freidel's account of FDR trying to manipulate gold prices. You really get a good behind the scenes look of FDR trying to implement his programs in the early 1930's. You will discover that FDR was fairly quick to catch on to the danger that Hitler presented to the free world. Amazingly, you will discover how the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor was either partially brought about, or brought about more quickly by a clerical error while FDR was on one of his many vacations.

I really enjoyed this book. Even if you are a well seasoned student of history, you will find a lot of little known facts, mostly behind the scenes details, in this fine work by Freidel. A great place to start your study of FDR's amazing life.

Not bad, but more "why" is needed.......2004-11-20

Frank Freidel has written a pretty good book about one of our most complex and admired presidents, but it certainly is not exhaustive. Freidel goes a good job explaining the who, what, where and when, but leaves out the all-important "why" in many of FDR's decisions. I would have loved to read more of FDR's thought processes and what went into his various decisions, especially at the all-important "Big 3" meetings at Tehran and Yalta. For instance, in David McCullough's Pulitzer-Prize winning tome, "Truman," we get plenty of meat on Truman's thoughts during the Potsdam conference - words from his diaries, notes to subordinates, etc. McCullough gives readers dozens and dozens of pages on Truman's analysis and thought processes during the critical conference. In contrast, readers really don't get terrific, exhaustive details in Freidel's book, and it's a letdown. These details separate a good presidential biography from a great one.

However, this is not a horrible book by any stretch. The author offers readers plenty about the 1932 election, FDR's disastrous decision to pack the Supreme Court, his thoughts and actions following Pearl Harbor, FDR's wartime strategy on the home front, his four presidential elections and even his death on April 12, 1945. Freidel covers the milestones of FDR's presidency well, but the devil is in the details. While I have not yet read Conrad Black's mammoth 1,200-page bio on FDR, one would hope it goes deeper than Freidel's 600-page tome. This book is recommended as a starter, or as part of a series of books to understand and study FDR.

Benchmark FDR Biography by the Best FDR Historian.......2004-05-11

Frank Freidel of Harvard is probably the greatest historian of Franklin Roosevelt. His superb four-volume biography of Roosevelt from his childhood through the New Deal is unrivaled.

Freidel spent years researching Roosevelt. He interviewed more people than anyone else. Nobody knew the history of Franklin Roosevelt and his era better than Friedel. His understanding of Roosevelt's personal life and Roosevelt the person is especially outstanding.

Freidel had intended to extend his multi-volume biography into the World War II era, but he never did. Perhaps the complexity of the war is best left to military scholars. So Freidel instead wrote this excellent one-volume biography, which condenses his lifelong work researching FDR into one volume. The coverage of Eleanor Roosevelt is also excellent.

This biography starts with a superb background into Roosevelt's early life in upper class New York. His personal life was fascinating. FDR was born secure and confident. His mother was assertive and doted on her only child. Franklin attended Groton and Harvard. He loved to sail and greatly admired his cousin Theodore Roosevelt. He courted Eleanor, married, and then chose a life of public service in politics. This book is outstanding at detailing the history of FDR's early career in the nasty world of policits.

This biography details Roosevelt's New Deal programs, how he achieved his legislative goals, and who the other players were. Friedel briefly yet vividly describes the Great Depression era. If you read only one book of Franklin Roosevelt, then this would probably be your best choice.

If you were to judge this book on historical accuracy, then you would have to give the book the highest rating possible. It is a superb, authoritative work of history.

However, I thought that something was missing. Because Freidel of Harvard sticks closely to the strict rules of historians, he rarely provides opinions or commentary. There are no opinionated points of view - just the accurate life events of FDR. Also, the writing is not as interesting as his original four-volume biography. (Read those volumes if you can.)

The strength of the book is FDR's personal life. The book could have been better at describing the epic drama of World War II.

Readers should supplement this book with a great book on World War II, such as "A World at Arms" or "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." Readers should also consider Arthur Schlesinger's three-volume history of the Great Depression era for a better understanding of the Great Depression.

I would also read the massive FDR biography by Conrad Black called "Champion of Freedom," which is loaded with opinions and insider tidbits.

If you are most interested in FDR's personal life, read Geoffrey Ward's award-winning "A First Class Temperament."

In short, "A Rendezvous with Destiny" is an excellent, first-rate history of Franklin Roosevelt by Frank Friedel of Harvard. This is probably the best FDR biography for most people to read because it is highly authoritative and not too long. However, people highly interested in FDR and the era will need to also read other books.

A good book, but disappointing........2003-08-27

Was FDR one of the four or five greatest American presidents, a man who worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering caused by the Great Depression and who was instrumental in our victory in WWII, or was he a conniving manipulator who took unfair advantage of the fact that the depression started during his predecessor's term, and played politics with the suffering of millions in order to consolidate his and his party's power base, at the cost of establishing an entitlement culture that is even now, 60 years later, still sapping the vitality from the great American tradition of self-reliance?

If you have an opinion on the answer to this question going into this book, your answer will determine your opinion of the book, for the book is unquestionably (and unsurprisingly; biographers only rarely take the time to study and write about a subject they dislike) pro-Roosevelt. If you had no idea that such a question existed, this book certainly won't make you aware of it, and you may well find it a very valuable and informative biography. But if you, like me, were aware that the question existed and were undecided on the answer to it coming in, this book gives very little information to help resolve the debate, because it is so unshakably favorable that it discounts, rather than attempting to refute, the arguments defending an anti-Roosevelt viewpoint. As such, it is virtually impossible to judge, based on the information given here, the value of the man, because the information is simply not produced dispassionately enough.

Complete & complex........2002-05-24

This one volume biography of FDR is probably the best distillate possible, though the task is daunting and the result is less than perfect. At times, the book 'drags' a bit, particularly through the 30s. Explanations of New Deal politics perhaps don't lend themselves to the kind of exciting story-telling that wartime meetings at places such as Tehran and Yalta do. In fact, I sometimes felt the book lapsed into an economics textbook, but it is still mostly quite readable. Freidel does not editorialize much about his subject and so (fortunately) one is left to draw one's own conclusions about FDR.

The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Average customer rating:

imbalanced but strong

The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
Richard Polenberg
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312227647

Book Description

The era of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal was a time of depression and despair, economic rebirth and renewal, and mobilization for a war spanning two oceans. Richard Polenberg's introduction to this new volume provides an engaging historical and biographical overview of the period. This is followed by over 45 topically arranged primary sources that provide readers with a rich context in which to understand FDR's multi-faceted role as President, reformer, policymaker, and Commander-in-Chief.

Customer Reviews:

imbalanced but strong.......2003-04-26

According to its title, the book compiles documents from 1933-1945, the era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but the contents are strongly tilted toward the 1933-1941 period. Maybe that's justified, given Polenberg's clear focus on domestic social and political issues and given, of course, that the New Deal period consituted more years than World War II. But I felt more than a little disappointed by the brief treatment the war effort received. And the documents pertaining to the war focused largely on Japanese internment and the issue of bombing the concentration camps. These are both important topics and worthy of attention, particularly the latter which I fear is sometimes overlooked (and which is in many ways a telling issue). FDR's Four Freedoms speech is not included, nor the Atlantic Charter, nor the Pearl Harbor speech. The book would definitely have profited from inclusion of these documents and perhaps also of documents pertaining to strategy or military policy.

Nevertheless, the book has three strong points that make it worthwhile. One, Polenberg includes a wide variety of primary sources: speeches, photographs, Supreme Court decisions, letters, posters, poems, songs, press conferences, etc. The sources also come from a range of people, left and right, "large and small." This makes the book particularly useful as a teaching tool for showing students how to tackle primary documents of all types.

Two, in the book's imbalance lies its strongest element--it covers the Depression and the New Deal thoroughly, offering new perspectives and carving new dimensions. We hear from the Roosevelts, both Franklin and Eleanor. We read the views of writers John Steinbeck and Upton Sinclair, and of Roosevelt opponents Charles Coughlin and Huey Long. Administration officials provide their opinions on New Deal legislation (including the frequently ignored Federal Theatre Project). Dorothea Lange's photographs depict the misery and poverty of the Depression. Mexican-American, African-American, and Native American viewpoints also receive attention. Polenberg successfully draws documents to paint a multi-dimensional, in-depth portrait of the 1930s.

And three, Polenberg concludes with a fine bibliography for further reading on the various topics of spanned by the documents.

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