"Leuchtenburg's ability to present a compelling, informed analysis and to draw readers into the world of national politics makes this collection an essential part of any understanding of FDR, the New Deal, and their joint legacy".--JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Superb Essays on the Franklin Roosevelt Presidency:
These superb essays are essential for understanding the impact of the Franklin Roosevelt presidency and his policies over time. This book is not a biography of FDR. It is an important reflection of his presidency. Here is a very good review of the book I found by presidential historian Michael R. Beschloss at the Washington Post website. "FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT defied tradition in so many ways that it is not surprising that he has seemed to defy even the normal rules of history. After leaving office,... more info
Excellent Essays from the Leading Historian of FDR:
In this fine collection of essays, William Leuchtenburg provides an excellent companion piece to his masterpiece, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Anyone interested in a general overview of FDR's presidency should check out that book first. This is meant more as a series of insights on highly specific topics, mostly culled from invited lectures that Leuchtenburg has given around the world.
Disappointing:
This book did not cover the most important aspects of the amazing presidency of Roosevelt. It rather covered the details of things that were said about him and his opposition. I found a lot of the book to be a waste, for example in the chapter entitled "FDR and the Kingfish" the majority of the chapter was written about Huey Long and not about Roosevelt. If you want to learn about what FDR did read the encyclopedia.
