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$4.18
21. Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd President
$24.28
22. The Presidency of Franklin Delano
$7.65
23. The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt,
$7.01
24. Sterling Biographies: Franklin
$1.34
25. Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions)
 
26. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Conservation,
$12.94
27. Debating Franklin D. Roosevelt's
$8.95
28. Dear Mr. President: Franklin Delano
$6.88
29. That Man : An Insider's Portrait
$59.10
30. FDR, the Vatican, and the Roman
$2.95
31. The New Age of Franklin Roosevelt,
$20.00
32. America in the Twenties and Thirties:
 
$85.95
33. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Man,
$8.59
34. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (The
 
$38.98
35. A First-Class Temperament: The
 
36. Remembering Franklin D. Roosevelt,
 
$19.99
37. The Dying President: Franklin
 
$136.12
38. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Foreign
$18.22
39. Franklin D. Roosevelt: America's
$24.00
40. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Preserver

21. Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd President 1933-1945 (Getting to Know the Us Presidents)
by Mike Venezia
Paperback: 32 Pages (2007-09)
list price: US$7.95 -- used & new: US$4.18
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Asin: 0531179451
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22. The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (American Presidency Series)
by George McJimsey
Hardcover: 355 Pages (2000-04-27)
list price: US$34.95 -- used & new: US$24.28
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Asin: 070061012X
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Elected in hard times and serving throughout a catastrophic global war, Franklin Delano Roosevelt confronted crises of epic proportions during his record twelve-year tenure as our nation's chief executive. George McJimsey now provides a fresh account of his much-debated presidency, describing the successes and failures of FDR's landmark administration and offering a new perspective on the New Deal.

A welcome synthesis of the best modern scholarship on the Roosevelt administration, McJimsey's study portrays Roosevelt as a pluralist leader whose various New Deal programs empowered the American people to combat America's Great Depression at the grass roots. During the depression, Roosevelt hoped to create a "cooperative commonwealth" that would create a strong America at home, as later during World War II he sought to create an international order based on allied cooperation and American leadership.

McJimsey pays particular attention to the political environment in which Roosevelt's presidency functioned and how it both created opportunities and limited his choices. Roosevelt, he shows, was often unable to avoid pluralism's pitfalls, as he found he had to work through corrupt city bosses, patronage-hungry congressmen, and profit-driven businessmen. As McJimsey observes, he was repeatedly forced to maneuver and manipulate to hold the reins of power.

A separate chapter on Eleanor Roosevelt describes her emergence as a public figure and her advocacy of social causes, exploring how she acted on issues that Franklin hesitated to address. In addition, the book expands on previous treatments of FDR by analyzing important policy issues involving and affecting women and Native Americans. It also sheds new light on the policy changes of 1935 and 1937, the roles of FDR's close associates, and the ultimate impact of his actions on democracy.

Concise and refreshingly balanced, The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt portrays FDR as an unexpected proponent of decentralization, whose achievements were mixed: while the New Deal lifted the nation, its programs did as much to increase competition for special advantage as they did to encourage cooperation for the general welfare, and his wartime diplomacy ultimately failed to prevent the Cold War. The book contributes significantly to ongoing assessments of FDR's presidential record and renews our appreciation of his courage and vision. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars The best book about Franklin Roosevelt I have read
A wonderful book in which Franklin D. Roosevelt emerges as a pragmatic and astute politician who manages the government with coordinating regional interests.The book conveys Roosevelt's adaptability to use federalism-adivision of power between the federal government and local autonomy orgrass roots movements-while implementing a massive restructuring ofgovernment to alleviate the Depression.Although Roosevelt had much helpfrom advisers, he enforced the New Deal to reform banking, the AgriculturalAdjustment Act to aid farmers, the unconstitutional National RecoveryAdministration, the Public Works Administration, the National LaborRelations Board and many others.Additionally, the author uses the termpluralism to describe Roosevelt's networking of various interest groups inan attempt to coalesce a coherent fiscal policy.Moreover, this bookrecognizes that competing interests sometimes precluded a successfuloutcome for New Deal legislation.Nonetheless, the author gives F.D.R.praise for his cautious approach in conducting foreign affairs and,especially, the United States' entry in World War II.The chapter aboutEleanor Roosevelt gives the reader a glimpse into her humanitarian concernsfor women and African Americans.The excellent bibliography adds adetailed essay about finding out more on this complex historical figure. This book made me feel as if I actually experienced the years duringF.D.R.'s presidency and the outstanding writing added to my readingenjoyment. ... Read more


23. The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
by Richard D. Polenberg
Paperback: 251 Pages (2000-01-21)
list price: US$15.95 -- used & new: US$7.65
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Asin: 0312133103
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

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 in both the East and the West. Richard Polenberg's introduction to this new volume provides an engaging historical and biographical overview of the period by focusing on one of its key actors. The biographical introduction is followed by over 45 topically arranged primary sources that provide students with a rich context in which to understand FDR's multifaceted role as president, reformer, policymaker, and commander-in-chief. The readings thoroughly cover issues of race and ethnicity, profile First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and explore the New Deal's transformative agencies for their economic and social ramifications and the constitutional revolution they triggered. A chronology, questions for consideration, a selected bibliography, and an index are also provided.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars imbalanced but strong
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.

All in all, despite the weak coverage of World War II, the book is eminently useful for readers interested in the period and especially for teachers and students.Had Polenberg covered the war years in the same detail as the Depression/New Deal, this would be a thoroughly excellent sourcebook.Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile book and could function quite well in an AP history course, or as a complement to reading, say, David Kennedy's Freedom from Fear. ... Read more


24. Sterling Biographies: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: A National Hero (Sterling Biographies)
by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Hardcover: 128 Pages (2007-02-01)
list price: US$12.95 -- used & new: US$7.01
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Asin: 1402747470
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Book Description

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only four-term President in American history, and the man who fearlessly guided the United States through both the Great Depression and the Second World War. Although left partially paralyzed by polio, he persevered and became a powerful leader during a difficult period in U.S. history. This fascinating biography captures all the drama of F.D.R.’s life and times: his privileged, but somewhat lonely childhood; his marriage to Eleanor, who opened his eyes to social injustice; his introduction to public office; his struggle to stay in politics in spite of his physical disabilities; and the daunting task of being President in a time of national and global turmoil.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars a great man
This is a good book about this wonderful man, he did so much good for
this country. ... Read more


25. Great Speeches (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Paperback: 176 Pages (1999-05-14)
list price: US$2.50 -- used & new: US$1.34
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Asin: 0486408949
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Book Description

Twenty-seven representative speeches spanning the career of one of the greatest speakers in American political history. High points include FDR's First Inaugural Address; his message to Congress, delivered the day after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor ("a date which will live in infamy"); and his Fourth Inaugural Address.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation...
Excellent compilation of FDR's best speeches--27 in all. As with the collection of Lincoln's speeches that I read not too long ago, these speeches lose nothing when being read (and, with FDR, a great many of these speeches are available on various forms of media to be heard and seen). He was a master at the art of speech-making, and making you feel that he was speaking directly to you, rather than to an entire gathering or to millions over the radio.

Highly recommended, as it gives us a glimpse into the difficult times of FDR's administration, and FDR himself. ... Read more


26. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Conservation, 1911-1945 (Use and Abuse of America's Natural Resources)
by Franklin D. Roosevelt
 Hardcover: Pages (1972-09)
list price: US$78.00
Isbn: 0405045255
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27. Debating Franklin D. Roosevelt's Foreign Policies, 1933-1945 (Debating Twentieth-Century America)
by Justus D. Doenecke
Paperback: 248 Pages (2005-07)
list price: US$23.95 -- used & new: US$12.94
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Asin: 084769416X
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Franklin D. Roosevelt led the United States through some of the most dramatic and trying foreign and domestic episodes in its history. In Debating Franklin D. Roosevelt's Foreign Policies, noted historians Justus D. Doenecke and Mark A. Stoler offer strongly differing perspectives on the Roosevelt years, finding disparate meanings from common data. Through their contrary viewpoints, supplemented by carefully-chosen documents, readers are empowered to examine the issues and draw their own conclusions about FDR's controversial foreign policy. ... Read more


28. Dear Mr. President: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Letters from a Mill Town Girl
by Elizabeth Winthrop
Hardcover: 153 Pages (2001-10-10)
list price: US$9.95 -- used & new: US$8.95
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Asin: 1890817619
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Book Description
In his first inaugural address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt tells the American people that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself. Emma Bortoletti, the 12-year-old daughter of Italian immigrants, already knows a lot about fear. The Great Depression has hit her western Massachusetts mill town very hard, and the president's bold new programs might be making things even worse. FDR addresses her worries and reveals many of his own in an ongoing correspondence that illuminates his -- and her -- abiding faith in America. ... Read more


29. That Man : An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt
by Robert H. Jackson, John Q. Barrett, William E. Leuchtenburg
Hardcover: 336 Pages (2003-09-04)
list price: US$30.00 -- used & new: US$6.88
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Asin: B000F6Z9Z0
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Robert H. Jackson was one of the giants of the Roosevelt era: an Attorney General, a still revered Supreme Court Justice and, not least important, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's close friends and advisers.His intimate memoir of FDR, written in the early 1950s before Jackson's untimely death, has remained unpublished for fifty years. Here is that newly discovered memoir. Written with skill and grace, this is truly a unique account of the personality, conduct, greatness of character, and common humanity of "that man in the White House," as outraged conservatives called FDR. Jackson simply but eloquently provides an insider's view of Roosevelt's presidency, including such crucial events as FDR's Court-packing plan, his battles with corporate America, his decision to seek a third term, and his bold move to aid Britain in 1940 with American destroyers. He also offers an intimate personal portrait of Roosevelt--on fishing trips, in late-night poker games, or approving legislation while eating breakfast in bed, where he routinely began his workday. We meet a president who is far-sighted but nimble in attacking the problems at hand; principled but flexible; charismatic and popular but unafraid to pick fights, take stands, and when necessary, make enemies.That Man is not simply a valuable historical document, but an engaging and insightful look at one of the most remarkable men in American history. In reading this memoir, we gain not only a new appreciation for Roosevelt, but also admiration for Jackson, who emerges as both a public servant of great integrity and skill and a wry, shrewd, and fair-minded observer of politics at the highest level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

5-0 out of 5 stars Everyday Reader
Robert H. Jackson's insightful and previously unpublished observations of FDR in his presidency appear and are notated in Professor Barrett's THAT MAN in a very readable arrangement.Here is a true and objective account by one who was there and witnessed the inside of the FDRyears in the White House. These Jackson writing's being posthumous adds rarity and validity to the work, making it a true find for serious Roosevelt and Roosevelt period historians.

5-0 out of 5 stars Robert Jackson Takes the Measure of FDR
This is a very interesting book which adds something of great value to the ever-growing mound of books on FDR.The fact that the manuscript was uncovered in a closet some 50 years after it was written is something for which students of FDR and presidential power can give thanks. It presents an entirely unique view and highly personal perspective on interacting with Roosevelt. Some of the most interesting discussion relates to interacting with FDR and his circle on an informal basis, such as on those fishing trips FDR savored. Also of great interest is the light the book throws on Jackson's own career--from the Treasury, to the SEC, then to Justice where successively Jackson was in the Tax Division, headed the Antitrust Division, became Solicitor General and Attorney General, and ultimately was elevated to the Supreme Court. Along the way we gain a fascinating perspective on such events as the Court Packing plan. The strongest chapter is on "That Man as Politician;" the most interesting "That Man as Companion and Sportsman."The editor has done an outstanding job in providing extensive notes, material from other sources to supplement the narrative, and in providing a biographical directory. But it is Jackson's own narrative skill that makes the book read so well.With a new major biography of Jackson himself on the horizon, this book becomes even more essential.

5-0 out of 5 stars A refreshing look at our 32nd President
As a long-time admirer of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I am always intrigued by new books that are published regarding his life or his Presidency.A book from a contemporary source that has such "insider" knowledge of how FDR operated as Robert Jackson is a marvelous addition to the existing literature.

Jackson does not make any promises at the outset of the book except to be objective, and he certainly does meet this goal.Jackson describes FDR as President, Commander-in-Chief, and a human being, outlining his strengths as well as his weaknesses.Jackson makes no excuses for the President when his policies and knowledge did not seem to be best for the country (Jackson even criticizes FDR for his lack of economic knowledge and business sense).

I enjoyed Jackson's writing style (he is considered by many to be one of the best authors to ever sit on the Supreme Court of the United States), and I found that the book was easy to read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in President Franklin Roosevelt - the stories and anecdotes given in the text make it highly readable, and the examples Jackson provides to detail his points are always logical and related to the subject at hand. ... Read more


30. FDR, the Vatican, and the Roman Catholic Church in America, 1933-1945 (The World of the Roosevelts)
Hardcover: 295 Pages (2003-09-13)
list price: US$79.95 -- used & new: US$59.10
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Asin: 1403961689
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Book Description
In this collection of essays, leading scholars analyze the relationship between Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Vatican, and the Roman Catholic Church in America. With the nation mired in economic depression and the threat of war looming across the Atlantic, in 1932 Catholics had to weigh political allegiance versus religious affiliation. Many chose party over religion, electing FDR, a Protestant. This book, a complex blend of religion and politics with the added ingredients of economics and war, grew out of an international conference in 1998 held at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York. From the multiplicity of Catholic responses to the New Deal, through FDR's diplomatic relationship with the Vatican during World War II, and on to the response of the US and the Vatican to the Holocaust, this book expands our understanding of a fascinating and largely unexplored aspect of FDR's presidency. ... Read more


31. The New Age of Franklin Roosevelt, 1932-1945 (The Chicago History of American Civilization)
by Dexter Perkins
Paperback: 204 Pages (1957-08-15)
list price: US$17.00 -- used & new: US$2.95
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Asin: 0226658724
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Book Description

Sweeping into power in the grim depression days of 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation along a road of economic experiment that changed the course of America's political and social thinking. His first "Hundred Days" were a swift transformation into the new age of social security, FDIC, and a host of other reforms.

Scarcely had the New Deal become a part of American life, however, when World War II broke out, and America became a global power leading the Allies to victory, began development of the atomic bomb, and laid plans for the United Nations organization.

In the opinion of many historians, F.D.R.'s thirteen years are the most important era in twentieth-century American history. Now Dexter Perkins takes an objective look at Roosevelt and his times—the great depression, the great social experiment, the great war—and presents a balanced evaluation of America from the Blue Eagle days of NRA to the shocking April afternoon of Roosevelt's death.

"A fair-minded, clear, and brief guide to that complex man and even more complex era."—Frank Freidel, Christian Science Monitor
... Read more

32. America in the Twenties and Thirties: The Olympian Age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
by Sean Cashman
Paperback: 648 Pages (1989-01-01)
list price: US$20.00 -- used & new: US$20.00
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Asin: 0814714137
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Book Description

In this, the third volume of an interdisciplinary history of the United States since the Civil War, Sean Dennis Cashman provides a comprehensive review of politics and economics from the tawdry affluence of the 1920s throught the searing tragedy of the Great Depression to the achievements of the New Deal in providing millions with relief, job opportunities, and hope before America was poised for its ascent to globalism on the eve of World War II.The book concludes with an account of the sliding path to war as Europe and Asia became prey to the ambitions of Hitler and military opportunists in Japan.

The book also surveys the creative achievements of America's lost generation of artists, writers, and intellectuals; continuing innovations in transportation and communications wrought by automobiles and airplanes, radio and motion pictures; the experiences of black Americans, labor, and America's different classes and ethnic groups; and the tragicomedy of national prohibition.

The cast of characters includes FDR, the New Dealers, Eleanor Roosevelt, George W. Norris, William E. Borah, Huey Long, Henry Ford, Clarence Darrow, Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Philip Randolph, Orson Welles, Wendell Willkie, and the stars of radio and the silver screen.

The first book in this series, America in the Gilded Age, is now accounted a classic for historiographical synthesis and stylisic polish.America in the Age of the Titans, covering the Progressive Era and World War I, and America in the Twenties and Thirties reveal the author's unerring grasp of various primary and secondary sources and his emphasis upon structures, individuals, and anecdotes about them.The book is lavishly illustrated with various prints, photographs, and reproductions from the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

... Read more

33. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Man, the Myth, the Era, 1882-1945 (Contributions in Political Science)
 Hardcover: 426 Pages (1987-12-04)
list price: US$85.95 -- used & new: US$85.95
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Asin: 0313259496
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Editorial Review

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. ... Read more


34. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (The American Presidents)
by Roy Jenkins
Hardcover: 208 Pages (2003-11-04)
list price: US$20.00 -- used & new: US$8.59
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Asin: 0805069593
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Book Description
A masterly work by the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and GladstoneA protean figure and a man of massive achievement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only man to be elected to the presidency more than twice. In a ranking of chief executives, no more than three of his predecessors could truly be placed in contention with his standing, and of his successors, there are so far none. In acute, stylish prose, Roy Jenkins tackles all of the nuances and intricacies of FDR's character. He was a skilled politician with astounding flexibility; he oversaw an incomparable mobilization of American industrial and military effort; and, all the while, he aroused great loyalty and dazzled those around him with his personal charm. Despite several setbacks and one apparent catastrophe, his life was buoyed by the influence of Eleanor, who was not only a wife but an adviser and one of the twentieth century's greatest political reformers. Nearly complete before Jenkins's death in January 2003, this volume was finished by historian Richard Neustadt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

2-0 out of 5 stars skip this biography
avoid books where the author's personality and florid prose obscure the subject. besides, what precisely does jenkins have against short sentences and one-dollar words?

4-0 out of 5 stars Good, short, reverential biography
The late Roy Jenkins, in assessing Roosevelt, rates him in the top three of all American Presidents, along with Washington and Lincoln. Whether you like FDR or whether you are one of his critics, it is hard to dispute Jenkins' conclusion. Jenkins believes that had FDR not run for a third term, he would have been one of the better, near great Presidents, but that it took WWII to make him the icon he became. Jenkins fails to point out that FDR did not create any appreciable number of private sector jobs prior to WWII and that, in fact, unemployment was almost as high as it was eight years earlier, when he took office. The reason may be that Jenkins had been a Labour Party member of the House of Commons, accordingly, his world view was that of a government interventionist. However, I ultimately agree that nontheless, FDR was, at least, a better than average President during the depression years, due to the great optimism that he conveyed.

I believe that Jenkins is correct, that FDR became one of the greatest Presidents due to the war. He led the United States in a great mobilization effort. Certainly, responding to events can make one great and FDR's optimistic leadership during the war made him great. This does not mean that he is beyond criticism, and Jenkins offers very little of that. Again, as a Labour party menmber, he would not have been as staunchly anticommunist as a Conservative, such as Churchill or later, Thatcher. Therefore, he spares FDR of any criticism for Yalta. His view is that since the USSR already occupied Poland, there was nothing to give away.

I must contrast this book with another book in the American Presidents series, Tom Wicker's biography of Eisenhower. Wicker could find almost nothing Ike did as President that did not deserve criticism. Jenkins, on the other hand, finds little, in FDR, to criticise. An example is his absolving FDR from any real criticism for not taking in more Jewish refugees during the holocaust.

This series of books constitues short biographies, thus it is not possible for the authors to be comprehensive. However, Jenkins covers a lot of ground. He gives a lot of coverage to FDR's career prior to his presidency. This is something Wicker failed to do, in his biography of Eisenhower, regarding Eisenhower's prepresidential career. Still, there was much Jenkins could not cover. For example, FDR went to great legnths to hide his disability. In a television documentary, it was revealed that he always would hang on to the arm of either a secret service agent or one of his sons and, by pretty much thrusting his hips forward, would give the illusion of walking. The legnths FDR went to are certainly fascinating but, I recognize that this book was too short to cover it in depth.

Perhaps this biography was a little too adoring. The fact that there is much to criticise does not detract from the fact, that ultimately, FDR was indeed one of the truly great Presidents. Still, Jenkins covers a lot of material and I highly recommend this short biography.

5-0 out of 5 stars The Good Brief Book on Roosevelt
This is a very good brief introduction to Roosevelt, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a brief understanding of Roosevelt. It is very easy to read and suitable for high school students. Being written by a man from Britain, it also shows how the world views FDR - as one of the most important leaders in world history.

You will not acquire a thorough understanding of FDR by reading this book. For that I would suggest the huge "Champion of Freedom" by Conrad Black.

In response to Mister Syzek, my understanding the post-war settlement is that Stalin broke violated the Yalta agreement, which was quite favorable to the west. FDR achieved most of what he wanted, including the stipulation that Eastern Europe was to have elections. But Stalin broke his promises and controlled Poland despite the agreements that FDR was able to extract from Stalan. FDR got the deal in writing. Stalin did not abide by it.

Stalin was determined to control Poland no matter what, so Poland was firmly in his grip, despite what the actual terms of the agreement said. Staling went so far as to say that it was "a matter of life or death."

Franklin Roosevelt was a geopolitical realist, and the reality is that the Soviet armies controlled Eastern Europe and Poland, and the USSR would be willing to fight - and win - to stay. The American people had no enthusiasm for yet another world war againt Russia. They wanted their soldiers home. Maybe you should ask the American people why they were not willing to suffer 5 million killed for Poland. You see, in America you must deal with these pesky things called voters and democracy.

To complicate the matter, the Soviet Union took the brunt of the war (17 million dead), and Stalin was rigidly determined to secure a buffer between Mother Russia and Western Europe. Stalin would not have budged on his goal.

So what Roosevelt obtained from Stalin was the best he could obtain - firm promises from Stalin to hold elections. It was Stalin who broke his promises. That made the Soviet Union look like the bad guy.

Truman then waged the Cold War (without the millions of dead from a hot war) leading to an eventual liberation of Eastern Europe. It's no surprise that Reagan was a huge fan of Roosevelt, voted for him four times, and attended his third inauguration (a moving event for Reagan). Reagan then brought an end to the Cold War without firing a shot.

You may be able to criticize Truman for not liberating Eastern Europe while American had a monopoly on the atomic bomb... or Eisenhower. After all, USSR staged a coup in Czechoslovakia and then staged a brutal crushing of the revolt in Hunguary in which tens of thousands were killed. Clearly this was in violation of the agreement that FDR was able to extract from Stalin. It was the USSR that broke the agreement. FDR did not sell out anyone.

Then again, maybe the path Truman took was wise. Maybe waging a long-term cold against USSR was better than a violent real war. Maybe FDR realized that no European-based power has ever conquered Russia. Remember Napolean? Remember Hitler? Could even USA have defeated USSR in 1945? Maybe Roosevelt would have done things differently. We will never know because he died.

As this book says, FDR was clearly moving to a get-tough posture against USSR. Indeed, FDR moved closer to one of his advisors who was anti-USSR. I suggest you read this book.

At the same time, Roosevelt was an idealist in the Wilsonian tradition when realistic. He believed in the free determination of free people, but he was also realistic. For example, he essentially pushed for an end to world colonialism in his design for the post-war world. Churchill opposed this but he could do nothing about it. The British empire was too weak.

By the way, Poland was not even a country at the start of World War One and was viewed by some in a similar way to the Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Should American have gone to war over the Baltic States?

This fine little book is a fine introduction to Roosevelt. It is the best brief book on Roosevelt. Read it if you want an easy introduction to FDR.

If you want a more detailed study of Roosevelt's foreign policy then read Robert Dallek's Bancroft Prize-winning "Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy." My essay here pales in comparison. Or read Conrad Black's "Champion of Freedom."

3-0 out of 5 stars An Elegant Little Life
Roy Jenkins, the prolific biographer of British Prime Ministers Gladstone and Churchill (as well as American President Harry Truman), died early last year, before this slim biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was completed.But even in its flawed state (it was completed by Richard E. Neustadt), this is an impressive book by an author of great knowledge and erudition that illuminates in intriguingly quirky ways the epochal life of its subject.

Jenkins was an Englishman active in Labour politics for half a century, and his is a very British take on Roosevelt's life, which both works and doesn't work to Jenkins' advantage.It is always problematic when an author is not of the same nationality as the person he's writing about (William Manchester's still-to-be-completed biography of Churchill, for example, was much criticized by the British).Where Jenkins gains in giving us a new perspective on a oft-told tale, he sometimes loses in dragging in references to the subjects of his previous books (an occupational hazard of the prolific biographer) or comparing some American political situation to its British equivalent when the comparison is tenuous at best.

Some of his more British asides are lost on the average American reader (as when he opines that the style and appearance of Groton, the prep school that Roosevelt attended, supposedly an imitation of Eton, "were much more like Cheltenham's or Marlborough's").Also, because the author died before he had the chance to read proof, the text is not as precise as it might have been had the author lived longer (there is at least one sentence that defeats my attempt to make sense of it grammatically - it starts on the 19th line of page 73 and begins with the words "In consequence...").

These reservations aside, I am impressed with Jenkins' ability to take a long and complicated life and condense it into the brief span of this American Presidents series, while still making it comprehensible.The shelves of libraries groan under the weight of the F.D.R. biographies out there, but if you're looking for a concise life that tells the story of the 32nd President from a unique point of view, you might want to try this book before tackling one of the heftier volumes.

5-0 out of 5 stars An excellent final book for a quality biographer.
The author, in this his final book, is British with an illustrious career as a biographer of such figures as Gladstone, Churchill, and Truman.He also served in his country's ministry.At first glance, it may seem controversial to assign to a foreigner the task of writing about one of America's greatest presidents.However, Lord Jenkins gives a perspective of Roosevelt without the tint of American politics.

It is amazing and disturbing to me the amount of enmity that some in this country express towards Roosevelt, bordering on delusional.What Roosevelt did for this country cannot be adequately expressed in a short biography, or in any book.Much of his pre-war accomplishments translated into an emotion of hope and optimism that moved to a sense of security during the war years.

The author addresses and logically dismisses the paranoid charges that either Roosevelt and/or Churchill allowed Pearl Harbor to occur.As one who lived in Britain during the war, he demonstrates Roosevelt's importance to freeing the world of fascism, and unsettling Churchill's colonialist interests.Fanatical right wingers condemn Roosevelt for the Yalta agreement's failure to rid Poland of the Soviets.The author (actually the co-author who wrote the last few pages after the main author's death) notes that neither Roosevelt or Churchill are at fault since Stalin was already in full control of Poland with no intention of peacefully moving.

My only criticism is the abruptness in which Eleanor Roosevelt is left out of the story.Of course, Mrs. Roosevelt is deserving of her own book that is not the point of this presidential series.

It is a shame that more people will not read this book.I recently wrote a review of the NY Times plagiarist Jayson Blair's book and that received a few dozen responses.This is perhaps my fourth or fifth review of an American President series book and the total responses number only a handful.I reason that much more can be gotten out of reading quality biographies of worthy individuals than concerning ourselves with an immature nobody. ... Read more


35. A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt
by Geoffrey C. Ward
 Hardcover: 889 Pages (1992-03)
list price: US$27.95 -- used & new: US$38.98
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0060160667
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars Meeting FDR
I spent most of the summer reading this wonderful book.I only read it on the weekends relaxing on my porch and was always anxious to reacquaint with the young man who would become FDR. It is a testament to this biography that after reading almost 800 pages I was sorry to see it end.

With all this praise one might think that I understood FDR.I finished this book no less able to draw a conclusion about the man who would lead our country through two of its greatest crisis.Question abound inmy mind that probably can never be answered.The first and most difficult question is what was so special about this man that he could lead.As this book points out he was not a giant intellect,nor a hard worker or even a visionary.Somewhat like our current President he muddled through his youth.Most of what he accomplished was a result of his family name.The easy answer is that polio changed him.That is not satisfying when it is recognized he is nominated for Vice President before he got sick.

I remain uncertain and Mr. Ward does not really help in answering the unanswerable other than possibly in his prologue. From reading this book one might come to the conclusion that FDR did not really relate to anyone.He lived a distant life from his wife and children.Possibly it was only Lucy Mercer who reached him.He was dominated by his mother but even there he was independent. LOuis Howe and Missy Le Hand were totally devoted to him but it does not appear he spent much time with Missy when she become ill.

His battle with polio is beautifully told.I take away from that his ability to be optimistic and positive against all odds.He showed perserverance but only really when his ambition was involved.Yet even in this case he chose to spend his time in Warms Springs somewhat removed from the other visitors and did not spend time with him family.

As the above review shows, a First Class Temperment is a wonderful book because it presents the subject in tremendous detail.It does not draw conclusions.Mr. Ward introduces us to FDR in transition.We meet him and see him grow.We see what kind of president he will be. I admire FDR.I am not sure that I like him much.I know I loved the journey and thank Mr. Ward for setting it out for us.

I hope that Mr. Ward will read the review and maybe indicate what he thought of his subject.Maybe he will even write the next volume.

For me I will continue my education by rereading No Ordinary Times,Conrad Black's biography and Arthur Schlesinger"s 3 volume set.I doubt it will answer any of my questions but I look forward to the experience.

Geoffrey Ward thanks for the experience.

5-0 out of 5 stars A tour de force of research-- eye-opening!
Since I was about nine years old back in the 1960s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been my favorite U.S. president. My mother, who grew up poor in the Great Depression, is probably responsible for this.She bought me a kiddie biography about FDR which I devoured many times over.She also encouraged my interest in Eleanor Roosevelt, whose life I relived through another kiddie biography.My mother made sure during one summer vacation that our family visited Hyde Park.Time did not abate my fascination with the thirty-second president.As a young teen, I borrowed from our local library all the books about FDR that I could find.I wanted to know everything about his life, his political views, his achievements, and his impact on Americans, America and the world.One of the more poignant works I read in those days was Bernard Asbell's "When FDR Died," which told of the sweeping affect his death in April 1945 had on Americans.When I was in high school, my family visited Hyde Park again.This time, I was so moved that, after I got home, I wrote an account of an imaginary encounter with FDR's ghost.

Then I went to college, got married, and found employment, and my youthful obsession with FDR took a back seat to everyday concerns.But my dormant interest awokerecently when I felt compelled to watch the Biography channel's two-part special, "FDR:A Presidency Revealed," and then the HBO drama, "Warm Springs."I suddenly remembered that I had a book sitting on my shelf that I'd never seemed to have time to read, one I'd purchased some 15 years ago- Geoffrey C. Ward's "A First-Class Temperament:The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt," first published in 1989.The day after the "Warm Springs" drama I took the book down and read it during every spare moment, creating some spare moments that wouldn't have otherwise existed.Now that I'm done, I feel the need to share my thoughts about Ward's hefty tome.

I'm giving this book five stars, although it is not quite a perfect work.I'll start with the positives.First, it's extremely well-written, and generally reads like a novel. I love the literary prologue, "The End of Algonac," a flash-forward (rather than a flashback) in which a measure of FDR's fortitude dies in 1941 with his very elderly mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, who had been the one constant in his life.The end of the last chapter, "It is Time," concludes brilliantly in 1928 with Sara excitedly climbing up the front steps of her son's brownstone in the wee hours of election night to tell him that, despite the discouraging early returns, he'd won the New York Governor's race after all.

Ward has done a superhuman job of sifting through the gargantuan archives at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, the collections of papers and oral histories housed at other institutions, the ridiculous number of biographies about all the Roosevelts that came before, and his records of interviews with numerous eyewitnesses to some aspect of the lives of FDR and Eleanor.I know from experience how hard it is to synthesize and express as a readable whole the varying and innumerable strands of factoids produced by voluminous research, and I stand in awe of Ward's accomplishment.

A chief result of this accomplishment is the opportunity afforded readers to learn about the less well-known part of FDR's life-his youth.One discovers in "A First-Class Temperament" the divergent personalities possessed by Franklin and Eleanor even as newlyweds in their early twenties.In 1905, Franklin was 23 and already larger-than-life, a tall, lanky man brimming with optimism but not introspective by nature, blessed with the chiseled good looks of a Greek or Roman bust, and bursting with a charming, self-confident, effusive personality.Eleanor was 21 then, and mostly the opposite of her new husband.Plain (but cruelly, and unfairly, labeled "ugly" by her dysfunctional family growing up), shy, deferential, pessimistic and exceedingly introspective by nature, and burdened by a self-esteem that had been stomped on by others, she typically gave herself wholly to Franklin's interests and preferences, as well as those of her new mother-in-law.

In a way, the real story of Ward's book is how Franklin and Eleanor slowly broke out of their early molds and refashioned themselves in a manner that would eventually make them the most formidable and effective husband-and-wife team ever to take up residence in the White House.Eleanor would later remark that Franklin strongly desired "broad human contact," something that had been missing from his privileged but sheltered upbringing.It seemed that he entered politics for this reason. Ward brings us to the starting point of Franklin's transformational journey when he was a naïvely brash, in-your-face, freshman New York State legislator.In first running for office, Franklin took steps toward satisfying his craving for "broad human contact" by energetically and enthusiastically courting the ordinary folk of Dutchess County, although it would later become clear that he didn't have a vision for how to serve them.Nearly 20 years later, by the end of the journey, at the time he was elected Governor of New York, he had become a more measured, thoughtful politician of remarkable oratorical gifts and a coveted elder statesman of the Democratic Party.

How did this transformation occur?Certainly, his experience during the Wilson Administration as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (which saw him embark on a constructive relationship with labor almost from the beginning) and his number two place on the doomed Democratic ticket with Presidential nominee James M. Cox in 1920 afforded him the knowledge and street smarts (many would say deviousness) that he would need to advance his name and master the ropes of government.But his horrific bout with polio in 1921 at age 39 was, as virtually all historians believe, the transformative event that took his people skills in a whole new direction.Desirous as a young man of emulating his distant cousin Teddy Roosevelt to the full, he eventually found his own political identity, divorced from Teddy's blustery American chauvinism.

Eleanor, on the other hand, went from a quintessential anti-feminist who initially opposed women's suffrage (and was shocked by Franklin's support of it) to someone who returned to her first love, social work, by World War One, and, battling her shyness and insecurity, struck out on her own during the 1920s as a political activist.Ward shows that her transformation was at least partly due to her discovery of Franklin's affair with her secretary, Lucy Mercer, which meant to her that she had to rely on herself rather than others for self-fulfillment.Franklin and Eleanor stayed together, but whatever romance had existed in their lives up to that time was replaced by a unique friendship.

A thrilling, and sometimes downright spooky, common thread in Ward's book is the foreshadowing of Franklin's future greatness-not through the use of literary artifice, but simply by Ward's relation of countless anecdotes that demonstrate the loyalty and awe FDR inspired in numerous people who encountered him or who signed on with him in one way or another.In fact, predictions of Franklin's greatness came from the diverse likes of Endicott Peabody, the headmaster of his prep school (Groton) and Louis Howe, the rumpled, gruff journalist who decided to devote his life and career to Franklin. Even Josephus Daniels, Franklin's beleaguered boss at the Navy Department, good-naturedly tolerated the younger man's behavior that often bordered on being, or actually was, insubordinate, treasuring Franklin like a dear son, and marveling at his classical attractiveness and charisma.It was as if Franklin, still boyish as a thirty-something Assistant Secretary of the Navy, were walking around with the Presidential Seal floating above his head.

But the best portion of the book is Ward's sensitive and dramatic recounting of FDR's contraction of polio and how hard he worked to overcome, or at least adapt to, the severe limitations posed by his useless legs.It is a gripping human interest story told with the knowing tone of an author who, as Ward reveals in the book's source notes, had had his own battle with polio.

"A First-Class Temperament" does have some faults, mainly in some of its analyses.Ward seems unsure whether Franklin's characteristically courteous treatment of all people, regardless of social class, religion or race, was innate or, as the author tends toward, simply a matter of a patrician upbringing that emphasized graciousness.Admittedly, one of the challenges faced by Ward, and all of FDR's other biographers, is the matter of divining Roosevelt's real feelings about things when he almost always kept his feelings under close counsel, even from friends and family.Nevertheless, a reasonable conclusion may be reached that Franklin's polite manner was so effortless and natural as to mean that, at some point, he had internalized the notion of respect for others rather than just exhibited this quality as a matter of habit.

The fact that, during the 1910s, Franklin sought the company of educated Jews, who were not his "social equals," not to mention, heaven forefend, also Jewish, was puzzling and disconcerting to his wife (whose pan-humanism hadn't yet manifested itself) and mother.Just as it is reasonable to conclude that FDR actually believed in respecting others, it is unduly cynical to question the sincerity of Franklin's friendship with Henry Morgenthau.Did it matter whether Franklin had established a profound bond with Morgenthau or was just friendly with his fellow Dutchess County resident?Either way, FDR's interest in Morgenthau's companionship was not necessarily any less genuine or significant than if Morgenthau had been a social equal.Indeed, as the 1920s wore on, and Franklin was spending increasing amounts of time at his home-away-from-home, Warm Springs, Georgia, in what would become a fruitless effort to revivify his legs by swimming in the purportedly magical waters of the town, he managed to ingratiate himself with the local, economically deprived populace.Ward highlights the remarks of one of Franklin's physiotherapists to suggest that Franklin's relationship with the people of Warm Springs and its environs was merely political courtship.Yet, as one area resident fondly put it decades later, Franklin could "talk to anybody about anything."More demonstrative of Franklin's feelings for regular people were the real help and encouragement he gave fellow polios who hoped, like he did, that the waters would restore their health and vitality.

In the chapter titled "The Limits of His Possibilities," Ward levels the unfounded charge that Franklin's business investments during the 1920s were of similar recklessness to the wild speculative activities of many other businessmen during that decade.The conclusion that, by virtue of these investments FDR's conduct was no better than that of the speculators who bore responsibility for the 1929 stock market crash is completely unsupported by the information that Ward provides.The business investments that Franklin made during that decade, "...everything from selling advertising space in taxicabs to harnessing the tidal power of Passamaquoddy Bay...," sound on their face no better or worse than any number of ventures that people in America embark on all the time and do not of themselves evidence the kind of blind opportunism that led to the Great Depression.If Ward had wanted to make a point about Franklin's investments, he should have tried to show how Franklin's "schemes" were qualitatively comparable to the schemes of the careless speculators of the era.

Franklin's intellect doesn't get an entirely favorable review, either, as if the author is surreptitiously captivated by the viewpoint of Roosevelt's misguided detractors that he was an intellectual lightweight.On the one hand, Ward relates the young man's articulateness, sharp wit, ability to dictate a series of flawless letters in rapid succession, and talent for quickly assimilating huge quantities of information and then using them, for example, to skillfully fend off tough questioning by a U.S. Senate panel during his time at the Navy Department."A First-Class Temperament" also quotes extensively from correspondence Franklin wrote to members of his family and to his friends, which often reveal an impressive literary flair, such as this excerpt from a letter written while sailing to Europe during World War One:

...the good old Ocean is so absolutely normal-just as it has always been-sometimes tumbling about and throwing spray like this morning-sometimes gently lolling about with occasional points of light like tonight-but always something known-something like an old friend of moods and power....

Despite all this evidence of a good mind, the book's introduction has FDR, as the president-elect in 1932, paying a visit to the ancient, recently retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, after which Holmes remarked that his visitor had a "second-class intellect" but a "first-class temperament."The anecdote serves as the source of, and justification for, the book's title.However, the author points out that Franklin never opened the books he avidly collected.Ward thus intimates that Franklin didn't read books at all, even though it was possible that FDR merely didn't read the books (perhaps vintage volumes) that he sought to line the walls of his library.But if he didn't read anything of value, where did his demonstrable literary talent come from?

A lengthy footnote examines Franklin's youthful reputation for effeminacy among the testosterone-drenched Oyster Bay branch of the Roosevelt family (headed by Teddy) due to his gentility, slender rather than hulking body type, and stunning facial features.Understandably, this reputation was a source of frustration for Franklin, who aspired to be like Cousin Teddy, and avidly engaged in such "manly" activities as hunting and fishing.The author expands his discussion of Franklin's perceived feminine side- and, by doing so, teeters on the brink of sexism-when he again questions FDR's intellect in pointing to his apparent penchant for solving problems intuitively rather than through logic, which, according to the author, Roosevelt was unable to master.Ward fails to reconcile the inconsistency of a supposedly illogical nature with Franklin's ability to swiftly consume and cleverly use large quantities of information to his advantage in arduous U.S. Senate hearings.

Ward seems to want to depict Franklin as brave and resilient during his battle with polio, but dilutes this portrait in repeatedly reminding the reader of FDR's upbringing in which he was expected to be stoic and uncomplaining.The author points to the conduct of Franklin as a boy, emotionally steady as his tooth was accidentally knocked out and the underlying nerve exposed, and the calm demeanor of his mother, who, in her late sixties and touring a foreign country with some of her grandchildren, fell and injured her thigh but continued sightseeing.The reader must conclude that neither of these instances of stoicism can be considered a match for Franklin's tenacity in overcoming his polio-induced disability.Neither his mother nor Eleanor expected that he would or could continue with his political career once it was clear that Franklin's legs were paralyzed.That he toppled an apparently insurmountable obstacle no one could have predicted.

One may justifiably overlook the problems with Ward's discussions of certain aspects of Franklin's personality and conduct and readily acknowledge the prodigiousness of the writer's multi-layered, complex portrait of a man who to this day continues to inspire new biographies and in April was selected by Time magazine as the 20th century's second most important person (next to Albert Einstein).In the final analysis, "A First-Class Temperament" is the sort of book that fans of FDR or of American history will mull over and hungrily revisit long after first voraciously reading the book's 800-odd pages of facile writing.

5-0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally interesting book
Geoffrey Ward shares the ability of David McCullough, and that is to take a scholarly topic and write about it intelligently and coherently. He also makes the journey fun for the reader and he showcases this ability in this excellent book. FDR as a young man (pre polio) was a very different man from the President he was to become. Polio was the defining moment that both changed FDR and deepended his compassion and understanding for the downtrodden.

In this second volume of Ward's Roosevelt trilogy, he illuminates FDR's dominating mother and the problems she caused between Franklin and Eleanor. One almost cringes when the obtrusive Sarah Roosevelt plans her son's honeymoon, buys homes for him (with connecting doors for her to intrude upon)and basically usurps FDR's own decision-making processes.

Franklin Roosevelt was not a great man, or a particularly engrossing man when young. He achieved greatness only after tragedy befell him, but Ward sets the stage here for Roosevelt's later greatness. If you're interested in Roosevelt or the flighty, banal rich New York set of WWI and the Washington social scene, then this is your cup of tea. It is also a fine book.

5-0 out of 5 stars Ward's first 2 books on FDR's life are a masterpiece.
Ward's first 2 book's on FDR's life are a masterpiece. When will he finish this epic account? ... Read more


36. Remembering Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945: A celebration of his life and legacy (Roosevelt Study Center publications)
 Unknown Binding: 46 Pages (1995)

Isbn: 9071654133
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37. The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944-1945
by Robert H. Ferrell
 Hardcover: 185 Pages (1998-03)
list price: US$22.58 -- used & new: US$19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0826211712
Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (8)

1-0 out of 5 stars Anorexically thin...
The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944-1945 by Robert H. Ferrell isn't much of a book, and it doesn't cover much information not previously published.

Most FDR fans know the basic facts about his life and death.In 1944, his daughter, Anna Roosevelt Boettiger, insisted that her father have a complete physical because of what could be seen as a visible and marked physical decline.Prior to that, the president's standing physician, Dr. Ross McIntire, was a Navy doctor whose specialty was Ear, Nose and Throat.A battery of doctors from Bethesda Naval Hospital discovered that FDR suffered from severe hypertension and congestive heart failure.In 1944, there was little the medical profession could do for these two maladies.Unbelievably, the president was kept in the dark about his health, and he never asked questions about his health, constant medical testing, or his treatments.These medical experts (who took over his treatment) were also not consulted about FDR's decision to run for a fourth term.

There is not much new in The Dying President, except what comes from the diaries of FDR's distant cousin and confident, Margaret Daisy Suckley.But even these revelations don't add much to the story, other than the fact that FDR did know that Dr. Howard Bruenn was a cardiologist.Ferrell does offer the theories that FDR could have suffered from stomach cancer or melanoma.But he provides no additional research to prove or disprove these already published speculations.

When discussing a book written by Dr. Ross McIntire about FDR, Ferrell describes it as "absurdly thin."The same can be said about The Dying President.The body of this book is only 152 pages, and 36 of these pages are photographs.Ferrell also claims that FDR was such an ill man, that his omissions and mistakes changed the course of history.History reveals otherwise.Even his own cabinet member, Frances Perkins, was quoted as saying "He has a great and terrible job to do, and he's got to do it, even if it kills him."

I recommend you save your money and read The Hidden Campaign by Hugh Evans or FDR's Last Year by Jim Bishop for a better accounting of Roosevelt's last years.

1-0 out of 5 stars Better FDR in a Wheelchair than Dubya on a Horse
Arthur Schlessinger theorized that every thirty years, the political pendulum swings between the left and right wings.No surprise then, that nearly 60 years after his death, there has been a slew of books slamming Franklin Delano Roosevelt's wartime leadership.No surprise, either, is that this book is published by University of Missouri press, since Robert Ferrell goes out of his way to all but directly state that Missourian Harry Truman saved the world from the sick and incompetent FDR.

Ferrell's thesis is that FDR's poor health made him largely ineffective during his last year.His doctors had recommended four-hour work days.Ferrell fails to note that FDR largely ignored his doctors mandates, and continued to submit himself to a punishing schedule which included exhausting summit trips, numerous press conferences, and a re-election campaign.He arbuably worked harder that the physically healthier George W. Bush, and may have worked himself literally to death.

Ferrell's credibilty is obliterated by the ridiculous statement that FDR was nearly as incapacitated as was Woodrow Wilson in 1920.Wilson was a near vegetable following his stroke.But anyone who has read the minutes of the Yalta conference--which I doubt Ferrell has--will realize that despite his physical condition, FDR remained mentally sharp.

There is no denying that FDR was in poor physical shape during his last 15 months in office.He suffered from congestive heart failure and high blood pressure.Ferrell also presents the theory, neither denying nor endorsing it, that FDR may have had melanoma and/or stomach cancer, but there is no evidence for that.What were the root causes of FDR's decline?Common sense points to diet and excercise.FDR's diet during the white house years left much to be desired. For example, the President breakfasted every morning on scrambled eggs and bacon.Of course, in the 1940s far less was known about the dangers of cholesterol that today.Despite his paralysis, FDR tried to remains physically active and healthy by swimming daily.(His correspondence with Daisy Suckley indicates that he was mildly preoccupied with his weight, and he tended to "yo-yo" in weight during his first two terms in office.) As the war made greater demands on his time, he abandoned his excercise routine, which was accompanied by weight gain, loss of upper body muscle tone, and increasing blood pressure.

There is no doubt, also, that FDR husbanded his strength during his last year.He concentrated his work on two overriding goals: 1) Allied victory in World War II, with the greatest possible speed, and the smallest possible loss of Allied soldiers (four of whom were his own sons).2) The creation of the United Nations as a means of preventing a Third World War, which FDR knew humanity would not survive.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was successful on both counts.

4-0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile reading for our times
Some have written that Ferrell's work is sloppy and depressing. I disagree.Ferrell does an excellent job of showing 21st Century readers just how different this country was 50 years ago. That the entire country could look at Roosevelt during his last run for office - and know that he was a dying man - and not know it at the same time, is amazing.This is the same country that couldn't deal directly with a President in a wheel chair. The country knew it, but didn't know it, all at the same time. How different was the relationship between the press and the White House!

The purpose of this book is not simply to drive home the point that Roosevelt was a dying man when he ran for a fourth term.The point of this book is about collective denial. The fact that most of the country suffered from it, used it, and both benefitted from it in some ways, and paid for it in others.Collective denial isn't much different from individual denial.It is a powerful mechanism that existed not only in the relationship between FDR and the country, but between FDR and himself. It also is the mechanism that allowed the United States to fight WWII to "make the world safe for democracy," while at the same time the country was somehow unaware of its own racist, anti-democratic values.Ferrell's book should be read within the context of the times, so that it may shed light on ours.

1-0 out of 5 stars Sloppy and Depressing
I couldn't help but contrast this book with the Bishop book, 'FDR's Last Year'.This writer paints FDR as someone and something far different than I've read in many, many other books.He most certainly was ill, he hadpoor medical care, and possibly he deceived the nation about his truecondition.However, he also provided the nation with reassuring leadershipand contributed to our war effort literally until his death.This book ispoorly organized, but worse, is mean-spirited.Definitely a 'pass'.

1-0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and poorly constructed.
In the 1970's Jim Bishop wrote an excellent book titled "FDR's Last Year," which contained some inaccuracies and a lot of very relevant history, (despite sometimes making it sound like FDR could have died at anygiven moment), but this book by Robert Ferrell is a real mess.Bishop'sbook was good reading, and followed his subject along through a consistentchronological pattern over the course of a year, and while it did focus alot on FDR's health, it also revealed all the work FDR accomplished upuntil his death.This new book is completely unnecessary and a palecomparison to Bishop's.The author's personal agenda must be to prove thatFDR tricked the nation into re-electing him when he knew he was dying.Anold theory, and there's never been any substantial proof, and certainly notin Ferrell's book.Who really needs several pages of FDR's recorded bloodpressure readings on different dates (especially in a book this small)? Who wants to read a book that is so inconsistent in chronologicalsequencing that it is impossible to understand what the author isattempting to construct or prove?Is this book necessary at all whenvirtually all the information in it has been known for decades from otherbooks and sources?The book is not well-written and the subject materialis derivative. Avoid it and search out better material such as Bishop'sbook or other more accomplished biographies such as the recent book byDoris Kearns Goodwin, "No Ordinary Time." ... Read more


38. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Foreign Affairs (Belknap Press)
by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Edgar B. Nixon
 Hardcover: 1939 Pages (1969-01-01)
list price: US$100.00 -- used & new: US$136.12
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0674318153
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39. Franklin D. Roosevelt: America's 32nd President (Encyclopedia of Presidents. Second Series)
by Barbara Silberdick Feinberg
Library Binding: 110 Pages (2005-06-30)
list price: US$34.00 -- used & new: US$18.22
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0516229702
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Presents a biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt ... Read more


40. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Preserver of Spirit And Hope (First Men, America's Presidents)
by Barbara Bennett Peterson
Hardcover: 314 Pages (2006-11-30)
list price: US$39.00 -- used & new: US$24.00
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Asin: 1600211178
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