Freedom from Fear

The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945

By: David M. Kennedy

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Between 1929 and 1945, two great travails were visited upon the American people: the Great Depression and World War II. This Pulitzer Prize-winning history tells the story of how Americans endured, and eventually prevailed, in the face of those unprecedented calamities.

The Depression was both a disaster and an opportunity. As David Kennedy vividly demonstrates, the economic crisis of the 1930s was far more than a simple reaction to the alleged excesses of the 1920s. For more than a century before 1929, America's unbridled industrial revolution had gyrated through repeated boom-and-bust cycles, wastefully consuming capital and inflicting untold misery on city and countryside alike.

Freedom from Fear explores how the nation agonized over its role in World War II, how it fought the war, why the United States won, and why the consequences of victory were sometimes sweet, sometimes ironic. In a compelling narrative, Kennedy analyzes the determinants of American strategy, the painful choices faced by commanders and statesmen, and the agonies inflicted on the millions of ordinary Americans who were compelled to swallow their fears and face battle as best they could.

Both comprehensive and colorful, this account of the most convulsive period in American history, excepting only the Civil War, reveals a period that formed the crucible in which modern America was formed.

Please note: The individual volumes of the series have not been published in historical order. Freedom from Fear is number IX in The Oxford History of the United States.

Listen to more of the definitive Oxford History of the United States.©1999 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Pulitzer Prize, History, 2000

“An engrossing narrative of a momentous time.” (New York Times Book Review)

“This is the kind of book prizes are made for.” ( Chicago Tribune)

“[Traces] the American people through three of the most important and widely written about epochs in the century…and provides us with consistently original and sometimes startling conclusions.” ( Washington Post)

Fascinating, history of Americe 1919-1945

Would you listen to Freedom from Fear again? Why?

Yes, because there is so much detail it will bear a second listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the dominant politician of that era.

Which character – as performed by Tom Weiner – was your favorite?

See above

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It is history

Any additional comments?

This ia an excellent volume of the Oxford History of the United States.

Demur v. Demure

I’ve long appreciated 20th century US history, but this book made me realize there’s a story arc I’d previously seen only as vignettes. This book does an amazing job explaining the nuances of the New Deal, how we ended up in two wars at once, and how the US and world were changed by early 20th century developments.

This book puts all this in clear context in a delightfully engaging and literate way. Simply put, I didn’t want this book to end.

Narrator was compelling, but I found his word mispronunciation distracting.

Powerful insights

Kennedy' well-researched work on the American people from onset of the Great Depression through the end of World War II provides uniquely powerful insights into who we are as a nation. The saga reveals the multitude of powerful political forces resident in American society as they interacted over the course of arguably the most formative national experience since the Civil War. A must read for anyone serious about understanding modern America.

My only critical comment is Kennedy's excessive use of metaphors. His attempt to creatively communicate complex ideas with extended metaphors bordered on comical at times.

An FDR Tour de Force

No question, this book is very complete, and very long. But, for anyone who wants to study this period in history serious, I think it is a must read. What really comes through is the amount of experimentation that FDR tries to end the Depression, and how many times those results are mixed or worse. Still, it is difficult not to side with FDR's irrepressible enthusiasm, even though a honest evaluation may lead to the conclusion that now of the agencies he created had much effect on the overall state of the nation. One thing I especially liked about the book was the fairness displayed toward Herbert Hoover, inheriting the mess from the Coolidge years of laissez faire financial speculation.

"American People In..."

Overall this book is a great comprehensive look at the Depression and the War. I have read from this Oxford series before and have been pleased with each volume's scope. I was expecting that the book would spend more time focusing on "the American people" such as with the issues of the home front. While it did, it spent more time than expected on the military events. I enjoyed the book but if you are looking for more of a history of the home front, you would do better to find an alternate read.

Excellent overview

This is an excellent overview of the three decades to the end of WWII, including a deft race through the war itself. Lively and detailed, never cumbersome. Good narration, though with a few surely preventable mispronunciations of foreign words. Recommended.

Fredom From Fear

I nearly gave up on this book at the start but I am happy I stuck it out. One of the best books I have listened too in quite some time. Excellent summary of lots of general information so you can dive off on those items that interest you more. The narration was well done and an easy listen. Wee worth the time.

Imperative American History

This book offerers and excellent overview of American History before and up to the end of WWII. Detailed, factual, and unbiased this record must be taught and read by those hoping for a New tomorrow in today’s America. Lean what really happened to cause the Great Depression, what the New Deal was and was not, and how the war changed the American landscape. If Americans are seeking a New-New Deal, let them understand the original one, first.

The book is long and unless one is highly interested in the subject may be a difficult listen. However, the audio version is appreciated in order to get through such a lengthy volume.

Stellar volume

I highly encourage you to enjoy this reading of an extremely well written tome on a critical period in our nation’s history.

One of the great audio books.

This is a long book with massive details. I listened to the audio performance as I read along in the book. The reader captured and maintained my attention. There are parts I will need to review as I was distracted. But I appreciate the information that was included in this book.