A sweeping, magisterial biography of the man generally considered the greatest president of the twentieth century, admired by Democrats and Republicans alike. Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years, his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised, his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy in America during the Great Depression and the American cause of freedom in World War II.
Drawing on archival materials, public speeches, personal correspondence, and accounts by family and close associates, acclaimed bestselling historian and biographer H. W. Brands offers a compelling and intimate portrait of Roosevelt’s life and career.
Brands explores the powerful influence of FDR’s dominating mother and the often tense and always unusual partnership between FDR and his wife, Eleanor, and her indispensable contributions to his presidency. Most of all, the book traces in breathtaking detail FDR’s revolutionary efforts with his New Deal legislation to transform the American political economy in order to save it, his forceful—and cagey—leadership before and during World War II, and his lasting legacy in creating the foundations of the postwar international order.
Traitor to His Class brilliantly captures the qualities that have made FDR a beloved figure to millions of Americans.
Traitor to His Class
The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
November 4, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415956687
- File size: 1071313 KB
- Duration: 37:11:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
The only person ever elected to four terms as president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office during the Great Depression, and extended his reign well into WWII. Mark Deakins presents the detailed biographical material with a mixture of scholarly detachment and involved interest. When quoting dialogue or speeches by the president, he convincingly conveys the man's patrician pronunciations and tone, as preserved in recordings. Deakins uses the same approach for Churchill, and one wonders if the two leaders really tried to "out-pomposify" each other. Matters of historical significance receive appropriate gravity in Deakins's performance, while Roosevelt's younger years and personal life receive a lighter touch. One can't help but reflect on the parallels between the Roosevelt years and our own time. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine -
AudioFile Magazine
Author Brands seeks to explore the question of why Franklin Roosevelt, a man born to wealth and the upper class, would become such a champion for the underclass and the economically dispossessed. While the author traces the answer to FDR's battle with polio, the main focus of the book is to offer a solid one-volume biography of the president. Patrick Egan takes an almost conversational tone in the narration, which makes the material flow. He uses just enough changes in tone to create variety without affectation. To his credit, he doesn't try to imitate FDR's voice, even in direct quotes. The abridgment is seamless, and no significant moments in his life are omitted. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
August 18, 2008
It is unfortunate for University of Texas historian Brands (Andrew Jackson
) that his serviceable biography of Franklin Roosevelt comes on the heels of Jean Smith's magisterial Francis Parkman Prize winner, FDR
(2007). Still, Brands provides an entirely adequate narrative detailing the well-known facts of Roosevelt's life. We have the young Knickerbocker aristocrat somewhat tentatively entering the dog-eat-dog world of local Democratic politics in New York's Hudson Valley. We have him embarking on a marriage with his cousin Eleanor that was fated to be politically successful but personally disastrous. We also have the somewhat spoiled son of privilege facing the first real battle of his life—polio—and emerging with greatly enhanced fortitude and empathy. Appropriately, Brands gives two-thirds of his book to FDR's presidency and its two most dramatic events: the domestic war against devastating economic depression (fought with tools that many in America's upper classes considered socialist), and the international war against Axis power aggression. It is fitting that Roosevelt commands the amount of scholarly attention that he does, but sad that so much is wholly redundant with what has come before. 16 pages of photos.
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Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
Languages
- English
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