No Ordinary Time

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

By: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 39 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize Winner, History, 1995

No Ordinary Time describes how the isolationist and divided United States of 1940 was unified under the extraordinary leadership of Franklin Roosevelt to become the preeminent economic and military power in the world.

Using diaries, interviews, and White House records of the president's and first lady's comings and goings, Goodwin paints an intimate portrait of the daily conduct of the presidency during wartime and the Roosevelts' extraordinary constellation of friends, advisers, and family.

Bringing to bear the tools of both history and biography, No Ordinary Time relates the unique story of how Franklin Roosevelt led the nation to victory against seemingly insurmountable odds and, with Eleanor's essential help, forever changed the fabric of American society.

©1995 Doris Kearns Goodwin, All Rights Reserved. (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Love Doris Kearns Goodwin!

I loved Lincoln and I love this! Doris Kearns Goodwin has a way of making history more interesting than I ever thought it could be. The book weaves facts and history with insight into Eleanor and FDR as human beings with desires and flaws. The WW2 details are incredible. This book will alter your perspective on the state of the world.

Deserved the Pulitzer Prize

This is a classic. The story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt has always fascinated me. Doris Kearns Goodwin has done a magnificent job with this. She covers not only the war years, but goes back and gives us the story of these two amazing people from their early childhood, which lets us know how them came to be the people they were in their middle and later years. Even though I didn't really learn much new from this book, I enjoyed every minute of it. I got very caught up in the story, and was dreading the end because I knew that President Roosevelt would die before the end of the war. Silly, I guess, but that's how good the writing was.

The reader was more than adequate. He was able to change his voice enough so that I was always aware of which character was speaking. I just sort of wish that Ms. Goodwin had read the book herself, because I do like her voice. But that's just my own personal taste.

Whether or not you know the history of this time, the book is a definite "must read".

Important History Considering Current Regime

2017: Our current White House could learn a lesson from this history. Please read this.

Deliciously detailed!

I enjoyed listening to every minute of this audible book. Deliciously detailed, it delivered insight into the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, two powerful yet imperfect people, who showed strength and vision as America prepared for and engaged in WWII.
Eleanor was Franklin’s eyes and ears as he sent her off to travel the country and the world, because crippling polio prevented him from making the journeys himself. She returned with stories that revealed the pulse of American civilians, as well as the suffering of the poor, minorities, and other underprivileged communities. Though he didn’t always agree with her recommendations, Franklin gave great credence to her assessment of situations. Despite their troubled marriage, they stayed together and helped the nation through very trying times!

DKG is a national treasure

The content is absolutely exceptional. This is not salacious or petty- it’s a deep look into the important aspects of incredibly important people. The voice actor (RIP) is difficult to listen to. His tenor voice is far from sonorous or pleasing.

Could a narrator destroy a good book?

I listened two books by Nelson Runger, the other is Benjamin Franklin. The books are totally destroyed by his mouth sound. I can't believe he has so many audible books on sale. Couldn't the post production team clean the noise up??? It's awful.

Hard to get much better than this story.

It would be unfair to ask DKG to make this longer but.....
Loved it. Have listened to it more than once over the years. Recommend highly!

Two Powerful Figures in the FDR Presidency

Where does No Ordinary Time rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Like her Lincoln biography, Goodwin does justice to the other major player in the Presidential sphere, FDR's wife Elanor. I really wish there were more biographers out there willing to detail the many influences that go into the governing of a nation like the US.

Well written and well read audiobook.

The author used a winding path that was dictated by the introduction of characters or topics, going back in time to give us perspective. Once used to this historical writing method, it was enjoyable and easy to follow. Well done.

Fabulous

I felt as if I were there in those years if the late 1930’s through WW2. Having been born in 1950, all this was a recent “genetic” memory.

The readers voice brought it all alive, changing voicings for Franklin, Eleanor, Churchill etc. and the details on earth by Doris Kearns Goodwin from actual source materials such as newspaper clippings and personal letters is incredible and makes it so real. And in these days of democracy being imperiled again by “the big lie” and other mischief… This book really stood out for me. I sent several quotes of things Roosevelt wrote or said to my own Congress people Suggesting that they could use the same words again today.

I was also quite amazed by how much influence Eleanor had and social progress in every issues we continue to fight for today in racial justice and women’s rights.

And I studied high school AP American history (with the teacher who had Mark Rudd of SDS fame … teacher remarked more than once “what did I say?”) and a couple of college semesters diving into American History 1890-1910 and 190-1930.