The Defining Moment

FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope

By: Jonathan Alter

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

In this dramatic and fascinating account, Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter shows how Franklin Delano Roosevelt used his first 100 days in office to lift the country from the despair and paralysis of the Great Depression and transform the American presidency.

Instead of becoming the dictator so many wanted in those first days, FDR rescued banks, put men to work immediately, and laid the groundwork for his most ambitious achievements, including what eventually became the Social Security Administration. Alter explains how FDR's background and experiences uniquely qualified him to pull off an astonishing conjuring act that saved both democracy and capitalism.

Jonathan Alter, a Newsweek Senior Editor, has written the widely acclaimed "Between the Lines" column since 1991, examining politics, media, and society at large. For the last decade, he has also worked as an analyst and contributing correspondent for NBC Broadcasting, including Today, NBC Nightly News, and MSNBC.

Grover Gardner is one of the spoken word industry's most esteemed and versatile performers. He has recorded hundreds of books and has garnered an Audie Award, 18 Earphones Awards, and was deemed to have one of the "Best Voices of the Century" by AudioFile magazine. He was also named Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly.

©2006 Jonathan Alter, recorded by arrangement with Simon & Schuster, Inc. (P)2006 The Audio Partners Publishing Corp.

Critic reviews

"A most readable book....A reflection on the way that Roosevelt reinvented the presidency....Alter's account has a refreshing buoyancy, not unlike its protagonist." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Alter goes on to document FDR's early programs, pronouncements, and maneuvers with succinct accuracy." (Publishers Weekly)
"A book like this, revealing the power of presidential speeches, should be read, in FDR's repetition for emphasis, 'again and again and again'." (William Safire)

Fawning hero worship

I bought this book thinking that it's main subject was the transition of power from the Hoover Administration to the Roosevelt Administration and how that transition affected the struggle through the Depression. What I found turned out to be a completely different book.

Mr Alter first provides us with a perfectly workable, although short, biography of Franklin Roosevelt from his birth through this successful campaign for the Presidency in 1932. I had not yet read a regular biography of FDR so this was helpful to me in understanding the background to his Presidency and the identity and backgrounds of the advisers he brought with him into office. While I knew their names from many other books I had read of the period I did not know who they really were in terms of personalities and what their backgrounds and opinions were. This book was very helpful in filling in those blanks.

The book was well written and contains a great deal of useful information, but the book suffers from a excessive case of hero-worship. Franklin Roosevelt was a great man and a great President and there is much to admire in what he did and how he went about doing it, but he, like all of us, had his faults and made his mistakes, some of them very serious, and a serious book needs to not only examine those faults and mistakes but clearly admit them to be what they were. This book does not do that. Examples abound, but I will list only two since I do not wish this review to sound like a polemic.

Franklin Roosevelt refused to help the Hoover Administration in its attempt to alleviate the suffering caused by the Depression prior to Roosevelt's inauguration. Mr Alter admits this but is quick to make excuses for Franklin Roosevelt. He (FDR) wanted the US to get as far down in the Depression as it could so he (FDR) could step in and rescue them. This does not sound like the action of a responsible person. People were suffering and FDR worsened that suffering for political purposes. It is hard to excuse that kind of action, but Mr Alter manages to do so by saying that FDR could better save them if they were far worse off than otherwise. What kind of an excuse is that?

The Roosevelt Administration adopted, almost completely, the Hoover Administration's mechanisms for combating the Depression. The policies the Roosevelt Administration put in place were those formed by the Hoover Administration. Mr Alter admits this. But the Roosevelt Administration refused to give any credit to the Hoover Administration for all of their efforts. Politics may be a hard game, but what is the purpose of throwing dirt on the names of the people whose programs you are adopting? Mr Alter has no problem with what seems to me to clearly be irresponsible behavior.

Grover Gardner''s narration is, as always, a pleasure to listen to and adds greatly to the quality of this book. My review of the book itself would be 3 ½ stars if I could award half star ratings, but, since I cannot, I can only give this book 3 stars. Mr Alter had a great deal of material to work with and could have produced a more balanced look at the start of a very important Presidency, but chose to lose himself in adoration and hero-worship. FDR and Audible's readers deserve better.

FDR did not cause the Depression

The key point Alter seems to be making is that FDR deserves credit for preserving democracy given that things were so awful back then that newspapers, businessmen, etc. were ready to let FDR be a fascist dictator and that the people were so desperate they would have accepted that. I watched the movie "Gabriel over the White House" mentioned in the book and I think Alter is making a fair assessment of this huge issue.
The personal bio of FDR, especially how his paralysis affected him was much more interesting than I anticipated.
The key debate now is over the claim from the reactionaries that FDR caused or prolonged or worsened the Depression. From this book, it is absolutely clear that FDR did not cause the Depression because it was fully under way while Hoover was in office. One can't really tell from this book if he worsened it because the book focuses on the beginning of FDR's first term. It seems undeniable though that FDR gave the country a huge psychological boost right away with his speeches and all his programs, and that's something. Again, Alter's point is that the choice wasn't just between Depression and immediate recovery. Revolution, complete chaos, communism, dictatorship and other disasters were all possible outcomes at the time and that context needs to be remembered.

Interesting but not excellent.

This was an interesting look at a slice of history but not nearly to the detail I expected. There was a lot more preview and build up rather than focus on thehundred days alone. Still good.

the greatest narrator this side of Kenneth branagh

seriously, this guy also reads the rise and fall of the third Reich which, aside from the fact that it should be required reading, is also one heck'uva deal at fifty hours for one measly credit... plus you get to hear homies beautimus dulcet tones throughout...

if you've ever felt the need to copulate with yourself while listening to a man's voice--i haven't but I can dig those who do--this Grover gleland whatever his name is... he's the dude

More that the 100 Days

Enjoyed the book, the author goes into a lot of detail other than 100 days. Which is what I was looking forward to listening to. Would have enjoyed the book more if those expectations weren’t set. I spent half the book waiting frustrated for FDR to be elected and to get to the section I was expecting.

defining book on FDR

I have read several books on FDR, but this one comes closest to revealing his character and what made him tick.
By concentrating on the first 100 days the author is able to supply suficient details behind the historic events. The author's premise is that FDR'S various character traits both good and bad were responsible for his success and strong leadership skills, during the critical time of early 1933, when the depression came close to dragging the U.S. into chaos. A must read for all American history buffs.

Well written and engaging.

I read this book when it was first published, so when I saw it on Audible, I had to listen to it. Rather than only focusing attention on FDR's strengths, this book also focuses on his failures as well as his insecurities. This book shows how an imperfect man can change and lift up a nation during unprecedented hardships for the old and young alike.

Very interesting!

Ok, I admit, I like history. This was excellent even if I didn’t like history. So much information to take in. We were lucky to have exactly the right man for President at exactly the right time.

Part 1 is sufficient

Part 1 was very informative and good. Part 2 was to long and unnecessary

Very infomative, and also refreshingly honest

I have read this book 3 times. I say this as a staunch conservative who has become very wary of liberal writers, such as Mr. Krugman, Gore, and Alterman. This book took a very insightful look into FDR's life and what made him an amazing man. It also took a very honest look at his shortcomings, and did not gloss over some of his less noble episodes i.e. the court packing plan. Mr. Alter doesn't claim that FDR was the great leader who boldly led us out of depression. He claims that without him, there may have been something worse. I disagree with some of his premises, but this book is more factual, and not ideological. Agree or disagree, Mr. Alter has written a great book.