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FDR
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 32 hrs and 52 mins
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Publisher's summary
One of today's premier biographers, Jean Edward Smith, has written a modern, comprehensive, indeed ultimate book on the epic life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
This is a portrait painted in broad strokes and fine details. We see how Roosevelt's restless energy, fierce intellect, personal magnetism, and ability to project effortless grace permitted him to master countless challenges throughout his life. Smith recounts FDR's personal battles and also tackles head-on and in depth the numerous failures and miscues of Roosevelt's political career.
Summing up Roosevelt's legacy, Smith gives us the clearest picture yet of how this quintessential Knickerbocker aristocrat became the common man's president. The result is a powerful account that adds fresh perspectives and draws profound conclusions about a man whose story is widely known but far less understood. Written for the general public and scholars alike, FDR is a stunning biography in every way worthy of its subject.
Critic reviews
"A magisterial biography...the author's eloquent synthesis of FDR's complex and compelling life is remarkably executed and a joy to read." (Publishers Weekly)
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Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press, Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that gave power away to the Democrats.
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Makes You Forget You Live in the 21st Century Good
- By Cynthia on 01-11-14
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Truman
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 54 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the 33rd president of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American.
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That Mousy Little Man From Missouri Revisited
- By Sara on 07-23-15
By: David McCullough
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1920
- The Year of Six Presidents
- By: David Pietrusza
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 20 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The presidential election of 1920 was among history's most dramatic. Six once-and-future presidents--Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt--jockeyed for the White House. With voters choosing between Wilson's League of Nations and Harding's front-porch isolationism, the 1920 election shaped modern America.
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A fascinating view into the US at the end of WWI
- By D. Littman on 12-31-09
By: David Pietrusza
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Accidental Presidents
- Eight Men Who Changed America
- By: Jared Cohen
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington. Accidental Presidents looks at eight men who came to the office without being elected to it. It demonstrates how the character of the man in that powerful seat affects the nation and world.
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LOVE LOVE LOVE this book
- By Samuel Stephen Ross on 05-03-19
By: Jared Cohen
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Three Days in January
- Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission
- By: Bret Baier, Catherine Whitney
- Narrated by: Bret Baier, Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this debut history from one of America's most influential political journalists, Bret Baier casts the three days between Dwight Eisenhower's prophetic "farewell address" on the evening of January 17, 1961, and his successor John F. Kennedy's inauguration on the afternoon of January 20 as the final mission of one of modern America's greatest leaders.
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Gently In Manner, Strongly In Deed...
- By Gillian on 01-20-17
By: Bret Baier, and others
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Roosevelt's Second Act
- The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War
- By: Richard Moe
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 31, 1939, nearing the end of his second and presumably final term in office, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was working in the Oval Office and contemplating construction of his presidential library and planning retirement. The next day German tanks had crossed the Polish border; Britain and France had declared war. Overnight the world had changed, and FDR found himself being forced to consider a dramatically different set of circumstances.
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Puts listener in the moment.
- By Jake on 05-16-14
By: Richard Moe
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Eisenhower
- The White House Years
- By: Jim Newton
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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If you think of our 34th president as little more than the babysitter-in-chief during the prosperous fifties, think again. Dwight Eisenhower was bequeathed an atomic bomb and was the first American president not to use it. He ground down Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism until both became, as he said, "McCarthywasm".
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A simpler time?
- By Ray on 11-12-11
By: Jim Newton
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The Wise Men
- Six Friends and the World They Made
- By: Evan Thomas, Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Reese
- Length: 33 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Six close friends shaped the role their country would play in the dangerous years following World War II. They were the original best and brightest, whose towering intellects, outsize personalities, and dramatic actions would bring order to the postwar chaos, and whose strong response to Soviet expansionism would leave a legacy that dominates American policy to this day. In April 1945, they converged to advise an untutored new president, Harry Truman.
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Dull with poor narration
- By KD6161 on 03-31-17
By: Evan Thomas, and others
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Splendid Biography Inspires New Respect for Grant
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No Ordinary Time
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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.
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Talented writer and narrator, but too biased/long
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Fantastic book with great narration.
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Ronald Reagan today is a conservative icon, celebrated for transforming the American domestic agenda and playing a crucial part in ending communism in the Soviet Union. In his masterful new biography, H. W. Brands argues that Reagan, along with FDR, was the most consequential president of the 20th century. Reagan took office at a time when the public sector, after a half century of New Deal liberalism, was widely perceived as bloated and inefficient, an impediment to personal liberty.
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Hoover
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The definitive biography of Herbert Hoover, one of the most remarkable Americans of the 20th century - a revisionist account that will forever change the way Americans understand the man, his presidency, and his battle against the Great Depression. A poor orphan who built a fortune, a great humanitarian, a president elected in a landslide and then routed in the next election, arguably the father of both New Deal liberalism and modern conservatism - Herbert Hoover is also one of our least understood presidents.
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What a fascinating story!
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Franklin and Winston Review
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One of today’s premier biographers has written a modern, comprehensive, indeed ultimate book on the epic life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In this superlative volume, Jean Edward Smith combines contemporary scholarship and a broad range of primary source material to provide an engrossing narrative of one of America’s greatest presidents.
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a Man for our time
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A hundred years after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson still stands as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, and one of the most enigmatic. And now, after more than a decade of research and writing, Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg has completed Wilson - the most personal and penetrating biography ever written about the 28th President. This is not just Wilson the icon - but Wilson the man.
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Well Written & Narrated But Too Much Hero Worship
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Silent Cal
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Very infomative, and also refreshingly honest
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Theodore Roosevelt (An Autobiography)
- AOG Annotated Edition
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The popularity of Teddy Roosevelt has only increased in the more than a century that passed since his term as president of the United States. This incredible first person account of his life and philosophies provides a remarkably revealing look at what made this timeless individual tick - and perhaps, into what made his impact on modern culture so profound and enduring.
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An amazing man gives his version of his life
- By JTan on 07-30-20
What listeners say about FDR
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mike From Mesa
- 09-15-13
Interesting but flawed
Mr Smith has written an extremely interesting biography of FDR and, in reading it I have learned things I had not seen in other books. He writes very well and I consider this to be a valuable addition to the other books I have about FDR and the period from 1932 through 1945. I would have liked to have been able to give this book 5 stars but found, to my disappointment, that the book seemed to be missing the objectivity that 60+ years after the events should have imparted. Many events derogatory to FDR were left out and a fair number of statements were made that seem, at best, to be questionable to me.
Franklin Roosevelt was, in my view, a great President and almost alone among leaders in this country understood the danger posed by Nazi Germany to the Western World and civilization as we in the US understand it. He withstood the waves of isolationism and made plans to help Great Britain when she stood completely alone. This alone, in my view, is enough to elevate him to the status of a great President even without his efforts to overcome the great depression. His stature in history is high enough to acknowledge both his faults and his mistakes. This book rarely mentions either.
Left undiscussed in this book -
1) His refusal to help the Hoover administration, in its last days, to ease the suffering of the general public due to the depression. A word from the President elect would have convinced the Democratic majority in Congress to allow passage of relief. This is not even mentioned in the book.
2) His unwillingness to be honest with the public about the likelihood of war with Germany after 1939. Roosevelt understood that war was coming to the US and did everything he could to help Great Britain within the constraints of the law, but did not try to convince the American public that the war was coming to the US whether we wanted it or not. Leading is what leaders are supposed to do. Roosevelt's efforts to "wage war but not declare war" are covered in detail but no mention is made of the basic dishonesty of knowing war is coming and telling the US that we were going to keep out of it. Each statement that US "boys" were not going to be sent into foreign wars was misleading at best.
3) His unwillingness to try to help the Jewish refugees about the St Louis when Germany sent it to the US. The ship, packed with Jews, was sent as a propaganda play to prove that nobody wanted Germany's Jews. Roosevelt probably could not have granted them entry to the US due to US entry restrictions but the US had enough influence with Central and South American countries to have gotten them refugee status somewhere. He did nothing to try to get them sanctuary and, although this episode is mentioned in the book, Roosevelt is not taken to task for his failure. All of these poor people were returned to Europe and, with the exception of those granted asylum in the UK, almost all of them died in concentration camps.
4) There was no discussion about the valid opposition to some of Roosevelt's policies by important politicians in the US. In particular the decision to leave the gold standard and effectively devaluate the dollar and the opposition to the TVA were left completely unmentioned. The people opposing these policies were wrong but they had valid viewpoints and the arguments should have been covered.
There are other statements in the book that I, personally, found to be questionable. The implication that Roosevelt had a mastery over the communications networks in the country that no other politician since has been able to match left out both John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan each of whom, arguably, was the equal or better of Roosevelt in that regard. The statement that the US Army was "enthusiastic" about running the CCC camps flies in the face of what George Marshall, who had command over part of that effort, had to say about it later. And the statement that Roosevelt would have won the 1932 election even if there had been no depression has no basis in fact that I am aware of.
None of these issues are serious enough to discredit or even harm this book in any way. The book is first class and is a valuable read but would have been considerably improved, at least in my opinion, by the inclusion of some criticism of FDR beyond his attempts to "pack" the Supreme Count (which is covered in considerable detail). Any book that spends time discussing the flowers at Eleanor Roosevelt's mother's wedding could have included information on these and some other subjects.
Marc Cashman does a very good job of narration and adds considerably to the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in FDR's life in spite of the fact that I am only giving it 4 stars.
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66 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Thomas
- 09-07-08
wow-
Awesome. You know its a good book when you a) wish it were not over and b) feel like you lost a personal aquaintance at the end of the biography and c) feel like re-reading(listening) again. I thought this was an oustanding biography, rapidly moving and insightful into both the character and facts about FDR. The author does inject his perspective or opinion clearly in some areas, for instance about the Yalta conference, he clearly puts in many references that indicate that he does not believe FDR was impaired at that time.
My only regret is that the biography ends right at his death, with no retrospective summary of what the author thought FDR meant or what he thought his strnegths and weaknesses were, including any thoughts on the downstream consequences of his actions.
In addition, the narration is outstanding, extremely well paced and inflected. As good as any download I have listened to.
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38 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Danny D.
- 11-08-07
Excellent Bio
Not the best political biography I have ever read but certainly in the excellent category. Just enough facts without getting into the mind-numbing details that a McCulloch or Caro biography can. I always rate the book and the reader/production since there are some readers and some productions that can ruin the book as an audiobook. This reader was fine and there was not a lot of unnecessary music etc.
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23 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 10-21-12
Briography for the General Reader
Jean Edward Smith (Eisenhower in War and Peace, FDR and Chief Justice Hughes, Traitor to His class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) also published an outstanding biography titled FDR in 2008. I must disclose that I am a fan of Smith’s biographies and have completed almost all of them. This biography is longer than some will tolerate, but well worth the effort. It fully details the split between FDR and ER, the President’s relationship with his children, his handling of the War, his approach to the Depression, and the holding of Japanese US citizens. The most interesting passage for me covered his friendship with Churchill and Lend Lease. Anyone who didn’t live through this American era or in the shadow of FDR, will be more than rewarded for learning about this time in our history. Wade into the book, swim through some pages, and see if you don’t agree. Certainly, Jean Edward Smith has a knack for bringing history in general to the general reader through biography. The narration of Marc Cashman is excellent
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20 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Phillip Goodson
- 03-27-09
Wow!
I bought this book specifically to listen to after hearing Teddy Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life. The TR book really set the bar high and I honestly did not expect this one to be as good, but this one is every bit as good or better. It is very well written and is detailed, but only focuses on the issues and events that significantly impacted FDR and his presidency, so it is not overly detailed. It is very well read and I really enjoyed this book.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Francisco
- 05-02-09
Go for the abridged version
The author definitely did a remarkable research on this biography, but the result is too heavy to digest. Except for a few parts of the book (mostly after the start of WWII), I did not feel engaged with FDR. I felt like I was reading a boring bureaucratic memo.
I can't help constrasting this biography with "Truman", by David Macullough, whose historical research is just as good as Jean Edward Smith's - and it's far better to listen/read.
The narrator did a good job, though.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Chris
- 04-13-09
Very good, not quite great
Jean Edward Smith did a really nice job with his biography of one of the most interesting men in American history. The book was well organized and covered all the important moments in detail. It's loaded with information, but it remains an easy read.
I have a couple of issues with the book that, in my mind, keep it from being a 5-star gem. First of all, it's hard to determine Eleanor's role in this book. Smith describes ER's upbringing in great detail, and a quarter of the way through the book, I wondered if it was going to be essentially a co-biography. Then, ER kind of goes away, and she's barely mentioned in the presidency period at all. That's OK, but why was so much time spent on her in the beginning?
Second, I felt Smith's handling of the war was questionable. He spent way too much time describing Japan-U.S. relations and the friction between them prior to Pearl Harbor. Some of it was necessary; most was not. Then he strangely glossed over D-Day, giving no particulars of the actual operation beyond the planning stages. I would have preferred a few more FDR anecdotes to all the Japan stuff because it was, after all, an FDR book.
Finally, I don't like when these long biographies just end with the subject's death. A recap of his significance, details of the country's reaction to his death, info about the funeral -- something to tie a bow around the story you've just told, especially when the death is so sudden like it was with FDR.
I know I focused on the negative; most other reviews touched on the positives, and there were many. Smith is a skilled researcher and writer, and this is a book anyone could enjoy. I thought his Grant biography was better, but this one was good as well
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- Patrick King
- 09-17-18
A political and American history treasure trove
I am a conservative Libertarian who has historically voted Republican. However, I think FDR may have been our greatest President. This tells the great story of Roosevelt. You get a bonus with a book like this too. Not only to you learn great details about FDR, but get a great history of the changing times that he lived in. Found it very interesting how much politics have changed since the first half of the 20th Century and how much has stayed the same.
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- John Moore
- 04-03-10
FDR
Well balanced account of FDR as a person. Good listening material and gave me a new insight into a person I did not really like.
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- Jayne
- 05-25-19
Completely Enjoyable
And, I learned so much! I never knew how FDR had become president despite his disability. I had always heard rumors about FDR’s extra marital affairs and how Elenor coped but Smith makes the situation more plausible. Loved hearing about Churchill and FDR’s political alliance. Also learned a lot about the New Deal, Lend Lease and the strength of FDR’s character. For someone who is interested in American politics and history, but also likes the personal aspects of the protagonist and other characters, I highly recommend this book. I will be reading more biographies by Jean Edward Smith.
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