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May 04, 2011

Matt rated it:

This is part of the Oxford History of the United States. The book was very well written and very engaging and I would have given 5 stars, but I was expecting something slightly different.

The book is basically divided into 2 halves, the depression and WWII. I felt that the author did a really good job summarizing the important events of WWII and providing interesting insights into the conflict.

For the depression, this book does an excellent job covering the political, More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2012

Loring rated it:

Thud factor alone does not make a book great, as there are some truly awful 1000-page tomes out there. Still, this book is a member of the elite Oxford History of the United States series, so the expectation is high to begin with. And 'Freedom from Fear' is one of the best in the series. Kennedy took on a vast task, writing about the entire FDR-plus era, from the pre-crash days of Herbert Hoover to the conclusion of WW2 after FDR's death. For the most part, Kennedy does an outstanding job.
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Apr 30, 2009

Erik rated it:

Let me say that one of the things I find fascinating about our current depression (and it is a depression) is that every Tom, Dick and Harry is all of a sudden an economic expert. We're in a situation in which the world's greatest economic minds aren't quite sure what to do, and yet that ass hole who lives next door is convinced that what we're doing is wrong. Speaking of ass holes, I'm amazed at the revision of the Depression currently swirling around out there, not only by psuedo-historian cun More...

7 comments like (9 people liked it)

Aug 13, 2011

Jason rated it:

In Time’s Man of the Year edition, they outlined some works in Ben Bernanke’s library. I picked up several of them, including this one on the Great Depression. This work is yet another tome, 900 pages or so… but well worth the read. The first half is devoted to the causes and results of the Great Depression. Sadly, since Reagan took office, there has been a wholesale dismantling of the protections put in place in reaction to the Depression. I literally covered the first half of the book w More...

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Aug 24, 2009

rmn rated it:

Freedom From Fear is David Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize winning 850+ page dense and detailed look at the United States during the years 1929-1945*. In the book, Kennedy does an admirable job of dissecting the 17 year period of American history in a lively and non-laborious manner for the reader. This is probably one of the two or three most important periods of American history and one where many details get somewhat glossed over in schools due its recentness and due to the fact that it is easier More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2011

Tim rated it:

Like all the Oxford series this book is part of, Kennedy's history of the Depression and WWII is excellent. It provides insights into Hoover and FDR, describing New Deal programs and battles with the right amount of detail, and even asking the right moral questions about the war and its conduct. And it's a delight to read, full of anecdote and fact, while never losing the major threads of the history being described.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 28, 2011

Mason added it

It is a labor of fascination to slog through this doorstop. Nothing is wasted, but there is an amazing amount of information. Two or three smaller books could easily have come from the same research.

I feel let-down by the subtitle. I wanted to hear more about the American people themselves - especially in the WWII segment. Any number of histories are available to take readers through the quarreling and intrigue at the national level, but what of the rest of us? I know my Grandma was one of t More...

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Mar 14, 2010

Pete rated it:

Kennedy's survey of American life from the start of the Great Depression to the final days of World War Two has a terrible task in front of it: to survey American life from the start of the Great Depression to the final days of World War Two. Economic crisis, dramatic shifts in the social and political order of the country, not to mention the country's understanding of itself in the world, and a fantastically complicated, global conflict that re-shaped the world as its contemporaries knew it do More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

Aaron rated it:

Solid book. A wealth of information concerning the New Deal programs and the depths of the Depression. Kennedy seems to go out of his way to - if not exonerate - at least to try very hard to paint Herbert Hoover as a victim of circumstance more than anything else in regards to his (mis)handling of the Depression. While Hoover did make some valiant attempts to right the economy, I am not so sure that he deserves the pass that Kennedy gives him.

Kennedy does a superb job in deftly weavin More...

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Dec 30, 2008

Tiffoknee the 3rd rated it:

Don't let the size of this book intimidate you. It's an ambitious work which does a fine job of encapsulating the decision making and policy considerations which were responsible for shaping the New Deal. But Kennedy goes further and shows how the American people's willingness to invest in a vision were crucial to any prospects of economic recovery. What's more, you learn a very significant history lesson: One does not set out to make history, history is made when men (and women! Roosevelt More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 11, 2011

Robert rated it:

There are two things you should know before reading this book. The first is that it is a very thorough history of the period, and as such, a fairly long book that requires a serious commitment. The second is, as other reviewers have noted, there is very little about the people beyond statistics and a few anecdotes. Rather, this is a comprehensive textbook of American history from the Great Depression to the end of World War II, and as such, FDR gets a lot of air time.

That said, it is a More...

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Feb 12, 2011

Matt rated it:

Fascinating interweaving narrative of social, economic, political, and military forces at work in the country from 1929-1945. It helped explain much of my superficial understanding of major events during that period. It also dispelled a few myths or over-simplifications about the period. I would actually read this one again, I think.

A few interesting points that I learned:

Reform was the primary goal of Roosevelt's New Deal, not economic growth. Prior to 1929, the vast majori More...

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Feb 08, 2009

Billy rated it:

I only read the first half, up until WWII. Put simply, this is a masterful synthesis of major works in the field.

Kennedy’s addition to the Oxford History series focuses on America from the onset of the Depression until the end of the Second World War. His title is misleading. “The American People” are not the emphasis of this well-written overview. Instead, Kennedy examines the policies of Hoover and to a much greater extent FDR. Roosevelt, to Kennedy, is the unique individual More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 24, 2009

Emmy marked it as to-read

From my Grandpa - "For a better understanding of the FDR saga, I suggest you obtain the Oxford history book, "Freedom from Fear," by David M. Kennedy which is the award winning book about the American People in Depression and War, covering the period 1929-1945. This is the most objective and unpolitical analysis of a period which encompassed a large segment of my life. I read a lot of history and this covers that period well"

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 08, 2011

Lily rated it:

Great overview of World War II. Now I know everything! Just kidding.

On another note, the language in this book is hilariously flowery, it keeps your attention. Like this passage in the epilogue about the dawning of a new era, The Cold War "the unwanted war baby conceived in the fragile marriage of convenience that was the Grand Alliance." Wow.

Also, sorry Dad I literally underlined ALL over this book. Hope you enjoy my markings!

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Mar 28, 2010

Ryan rated it:

A wonderful overview of this period of American history. About as even-handed as one could hope for, and while the war section devolves, as they usually do, into a laundry list of specifications and operations, the insights into the cause of the Depression, the national mood during the early 30's, and the character of the era's biggest players make the book well worth a read. I certainly learned a lot.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 10, 2011

George rated it:

I am huge fan of the Oxford Series of American History, and this is the best of the ones I have read.

It covers the FDR era, from Depression to WWII. Incredible sourcing and well written. I don't know how anyone can challenge the research, conclusions, and information of this book, and given that, I do not know how anyone can not realize FDR's greatness.

One of my favorite history books.

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Mar 24, 2011

Declan rated it:

Massive comprehensive and dense. By the time I finished I had forgotten the main ideas from the first half. Answers a lot of questions for me about why the great depression lasted ( middle class consumption is the engine of our economy), what kind of a person was FDR (instinctive politician not a strategist or careful planner), was the allied victory in WWII a foregone conclusion (yes, once the might of US industry was fully mobilized, no one else could produce as much as far away from the fight More...

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Jan 22, 2008

Justin rated it:

A magisterial march through a remarkable period of American history. I am a huge fan of the Oxford History of the United States, and this volume may rival James MacPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era" as the best piece in the series. Kennedy's prose is occasionally over the top, but he usually writes with power and verve. He is an excellent portraitist: FDR, General MacArthur, Huey Long, and a host of others come alive in his vivid sketches. The book is very big but More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 21, 2011

Keith rated it:

Wow! That was long. It was a battle to get through this book. That said, it was an enjoyable battle. What amazes me is how much I didn't learn about American History. The old saying about history repeating was echoed as I read the first half. The political arguments could have been lifted from today's news. I think the biggest difficulty was that the timeline reset often from chapter to chapter. Kennedy seemed to go back and rehash certain points, in order to make new points, had to go back in t More...

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Jun 22, 2011

Jeslyn rated it:

Fantastic work - Kennedy has done exhaustive research on a jam-packed period of American (and world) history, and crafted a study that never loses control of the myriad threads being woven into the whole.

Even at nearly 900 pages, Kennedy doesn't wade into the deepest water on any of the foci - it wouldn't be possible, and would disrupt the balance of content. Great move, as he is thus able to touch on many aspects of these years in a brief but pointed manner, which frequently prompt More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Converse rated it:

Unsuprisingly, a history book with this time frame focuses on the Great Depression and the Second World War. I was surprised to learn that Roosevelt and many others thought that economic growth had basically come to a permanent end and public works projects would be needed permanently to maintain employment.

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Mar 27, 2008

Kelley rated it:

It is easy to forget what an incredible impact The Great Depression and WWII have had on the world we live in today. This history of the US from the late 1920's to the immediate post war years, will help any reader understand the shift in the US from a nation of individuals to a national welfare state.

The figure of FDR is central to the story, though it is not a biography of him. His view of the role of government in the lives of its citizens and his relationship with Churchill a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Rod rated it:

A very comprehensive look at the 16 years in the history of the US. One thing positive about this book is the perspective it gives you and maybe some optimism for my country. A lot of both good and bad happened in this time period. The pattern of growing inequity of wealth will eventually be reversed.

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Apr 21, 2011

Killian rated it:

I had heard about the brilliance of this work from several sources. I started reading a kindle copy, got 6% in to it. While I did find the subject fascinating and the situations leading up to the great depression eerily similar to recent economic events, the dry narrative and over abundance of statistics made this a tough read. Not in terms of cognition- the author had a clear tone and, though some passages required analytical thinking, didn't write over the reader's head. As I was reading, I fe More...

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Nov 12, 2011

Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read

"An engrossing narrative of a momentous time." - New York Times Book Review

Listen to Freedom from Fear on your smartphone.

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Dec 27, 2011

Tommy rated it:

An amzing accomplishment. Kennedy condenses so much history into 900 pages. He provides an excellent survey of the New Deal and WWII, beautifully written to appeal to historians and general readers.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2009

Chris is currently reading it

A standard history, but pretty smart and a page-turner to boot. And it has a nice mix of revisionist reassessment and synthesis of other histories. Need I mention how timely it is now?

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Apr 27, 2008

Bgusto rated it:

This might as well be two books, the first a history of the Great Depression and the second on the US in WWII. Both focus on the federal government with only brief diversions into the lives of ordinary Americans. The first part is pretty dry, although still interesting if you're interested in FDR's administration and economics. The writing is dense with facts, but too light on illustration and character for my taste.
The second part is much more interesting, and provides many more color More...

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Sep 13, 2009

Kathryn rated it:

An excellent book, spanning the years of the Great Depressions through World War II. Kennedy's writing is clear, accessible, and insightful making the 800+ pages fly by. Kennedy, instead of relying on interviews, uses primary sources and meticulously footnotes them - which I love.

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