My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
Nothing to Fear
by
Adam Cohen
"A fascinating account of an extraordinary moment in the life of the United States." --The New York Times
With the world currently in the grips of a financial crisis unlike anything since the Great Depression, Nothing to Fear could not be timelier. This acclaimed work of history brings to life Franklin Roosevelt's first hundred days in office, when he and his i...more
With the world currently in the grips of a financial crisis unlike anything since the Great Depression, Nothing to Fear could not be timelier. This acclaimed work of history brings to life Franklin Roosevelt's first hundred days in office, when he and his i...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
January 26th 2010
by Penguin Group (USA)
(first published December 24th 2008)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
369)
Critics agree that by focusing on five aides to the president, Nothing to Fear provides a new and interesting perspective on an epochal period in American politics. Cohen gears his writing to the lay reader, sparing the heavy policy analysis and producing a narrative both enjoyable and compelling. While the New York Times Book Review notes that focusing only on FDR's first 100 days might yield a misleading impression of the New Deal and that Cohen's frameworkÄîthe five biographical sketches of f
...more
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to office in March of 1933, banks, businesses and farms were failing, unemployment stood at 25%, thousands of Americans were going hungry, and an increasing number of citizens were talking of armed rebellion. And FDR was promising âaction and action nowâ but he was a fiscal conservative, and he had only a few untested ideas, âexperimentsâ he called them, on how to pull the nation out of the Depression.
Thankfully, at this very critical time, FDR mad...more
Thankfully, at this very critical time, FDR mad...more
Adam Cohen, the author of Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the First Hundred Days that Created Modern America, reads like a suspense novel in parts. Roosevelt swept into office in a landslide with the highest hopes of any president since George Washington, and he managed to pull together a team of people who were able to put programs in place that Americans are still benefitting from. Recently, contemporary conservatives have tried to downplay or outright deny the impact of Roosevelt's pr...more
view 1 comment
Nothing to Fear is a good anthology of the backgrounds of the first generation New Dealers and a primer for the "alphabet soup" of New Deal agencies. Unfortunately, it is not very deep.
Think of each chapter as elongated Wikipedia articles on cabinet officials. Adam Cohen gives his subjects' backgrounds an equal (sometimes greater) amount of space as discussion of the New Deal programs themselves. I think this is more than a little imbalanced. An example: Frances Perk...more
Think of each chapter as elongated Wikipedia articles on cabinet officials. Adam Cohen gives his subjects' backgrounds an equal (sometimes greater) amount of space as discussion of the New Deal programs themselves. I think this is more than a little imbalanced. An example: Frances Perk...more
A very nice summary of the first 100 days of the FDR administration in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression. In may ways the present age resembles that of 1933, in kind if not in severity, economically, politically, and socially. As a result, the challenges facing our current president and his cabinet and advisers are similarly formidable - challenges resulting from a mixture of greed, wrongheadedness, bad policy, and an unwillingness to suffer any inconvenience, even if such would help th...more
An excellent book highlighting 5 of the people involved in the first 100 days of FDRâs presidency and the policies they worked for and against. Itâs really well written and the author makes this potentially dry subject into a fascinating page turner.
Cohen definitely has an opinion here, but itâs the same as mine, the correct one. Heâs trying to show how much that time looked like ours, but the parallels are not hard to make. It shows the different sides and gets into the debates ...more
Cohen definitely has an opinion here, but itâs the same as mine, the correct one. Heâs trying to show how much that time looked like ours, but the parallels are not hard to make. It shows the different sides and gets into the debates ...more
FDR got advice from his agriculture secretary Henry Wallace, presidential aide Raymond Moley, budget director Lewis Douglas, labor secretary Frances Perkins and Civil Works Administration director Harry Hopkins.
If you love women's history or are any kind of feminist go right to the part about Perkins. I loved that part. There was a lot of detail, which unfortunately means that there was a lot of detail about the other four characters which engendered less enthusiasm. These characters did...more
If you love women's history or are any kind of feminist go right to the part about Perkins. I loved that part. There was a lot of detail, which unfortunately means that there was a lot of detail about the other four characters which engendered less enthusiasm. These characters did...more
I have read a lot of books about FDR, what can I say the man fascinates me?!?! This book spoke of things that both critics and worshipers have forgotten. (Warning Political Soap Box) FDR was a thrifty spender. He cut every department budget by a least a fourth, balanced budget, spending only for public good, created Social Security out of tax (SS would still be solvent had not been for Congress/Presidents borrowing from it) and he believed that every person should have the pleasure of earning th...more
Finally finished this one..
While it was informative of FDR and his inner circle & the 100 days that created everything from relief programs for the jobless, Fair Labor Standards Act to Social Security..
But I almost think this guy wrote this book just to have a 3 or 4 page rant that ended the book abruptly, consisting of:
1.) How the Reagan administration called for 'starving the beast' of relief to the poor.
2.) How Gingrich oversaw the end to cash assistance to ...more
While it was informative of FDR and his inner circle & the 100 days that created everything from relief programs for the jobless, Fair Labor Standards Act to Social Security..
But I almost think this guy wrote this book just to have a 3 or 4 page rant that ended the book abruptly, consisting of:
1.) How the Reagan administration called for 'starving the beast' of relief to the poor.
2.) How Gingrich oversaw the end to cash assistance to ...more
This book has its moments but the author does a "lazy writer" technique which too many writers of non-fiction do. That is, he'll take peripheral figures, in this case FDR's first 100 days, and write biographies of those figures. It detracts from the flow of the story and I, and I assume other readers, are not that interested in those people other than their relationship to FDR. If you're looking for a history of FDR's 100 days, you can probably find a better source.
I assume Obama is reading this. The parallels with the two national crises are interesting. I fear FDR's performance is going to have alot more legisaltive achievments and success during his 100 days, but he only had the eocnomy to deal with - no wars, no nuclear bombs, and the Republicans were much more wimpy then. The book focuses almost exclusively on teh legislation, so its somewhat dry and not very well written - it makes me appreciate Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Nothing to Fear , as titile states, is mostly about the accomplishments and lives of Roosevelt's advisors during those 100 days. The similarities, tho not the extremes, between bush/Hoover, Roosevelt/Obama, the banking problems with excessive speculation are fascinating, reminding that if you know your history mistakes will be avoided. Easy read but sometimes more info than I cared to know so occasional skimming. A good read for those struggling with ideology.
I only had sketchy knowledge of the New Deal. This book covers the 1st 100 days of FDR's first term in office. There are extensive bios of the 4 most important cabinet members and descriptions of the relevant legislation. The book is well written and reads very easily for non fiction.
It was amazing to compare the law making process then and now. It was an easy read, but very informative.
It was amazing to compare the law making process then and now. It was an easy read, but very informative.
This book proves that which is old is new again. The book chronicles the transition between Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt at the depths of the depression. Hoover attempted to get Roosevent to continue his policies, which Roosevelt flatly refused.
Replace the names of Hoover and Roosevelt with Bush and Obama, and you have a nearly perfect copy of the Bush/Obama transition.
Replace the names of Hoover and Roosevelt with Bush and Obama, and you have a nearly perfect copy of the Bush/Obama transition.
I listened to the audio version of this book. It was interesting reading this in the context of our times today - to see how so many of the innovations of that day remain with us; and how we are trying to replicate some of them now. You also think about the old adage "those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it" as you see what led up to the Glass Steagall act, so that Americans would have more financial protection. Then 60 years later Clinton moved to have it repealed; Bu...more
It might bore some people but I LOVED this inside look at FDR's cabinet. It's far more about Frances Perkins, Henry Wallace and Harry Hopkins (among others) than Roosevelt. But really you can't understand how we got to modern america without understanding something about this. It seems to me this is the beginning of much of what most of us think America stands for.
So far so good. I read about 30-40 pages each night. I am learning a lot about many important people that I knew almost nothing about. I am startled to read how similar the early 1930s are to the present time. I am also depressed about the current state of education vis-a-vis history in our country. We are committing the same dreadful mistakes and our leaders are having the same arguments that were put forth 70 years ago. The book is very well written and allows one to see FDR through the eyes a...more
Really interesting to say the least. The book was exactly what the title says it was about. There were great details of how society was at the time and how Hoover really had a different philosophy about how the Fed gov should play a roll in it. America voted for change and FDR become president. There is a lot of good background on the "brain trust" that created the 15 major programs or reforms within the first 100 days of his adminstration. That is how all future presidents are lo...more
Although this book is a political history non-fiction, I really enjoyed it. It didn't only focus on FDR, but on all of his cabinet members and advisors, their private and public lives. Now is an ideal time to read this book. It takes you from the Great Depression to the success of FDR's New Deal.
This was a fascinating book to listen to. I had no idea that many of the New Deal ideas that I attributed to FDR were in fact ideas championed by his cabinet members. Ideas that they fought to convince FDR would work. I also learned that the first female cabinet member served under FDR. I will need to learn more about Francis Perkins.
Not so much about FDR as about a handful of people who brought the New Deal into being. A fascinating group, too, with quite a range of backgrounds. I found myself fond of Frances Parker in particular.
My main reaction to the book, though, was jealousy. They did so much, and so quickly, and for the most part just ignored the haters. I wish the current administration would do half as much.
My main reaction to the book, though, was jealousy. They did so much, and so quickly, and for the most part just ignored the haters. I wish the current administration would do half as much.
Considering that many people compare Obama to FDR, I thought this was a timely book. The author goes into great detail about how FDR choose his cabinet and often included details about how they came to have the knowledgte to be chosen.
However, I was half way through the book and only about 10 days of FDR's 100 days had been covered. It was interesting but very slow reading.
The similarities with Obama ended with the hand he was dealt. FDR had no qualms about challenging...more
However, I was half way through the book and only about 10 days of FDR's 100 days had been covered. It was interesting but very slow reading.
The similarities with Obama ended with the hand he was dealt. FDR had no qualms about challenging...more
President Obama was reading this when he became President. You can see how he used it as a road map. Fortunately, times were not as bad. Unfortunately, that means he got considerably less done.
5/21 An in depth analysis of Roosevelt's first 100 days and all of the programs he put into place. It talks about the ideas that didn't work and the ones that did, many of which we still have in place today.
I have only read a few pages and am already so depressed from the comparing of the first 100 days of FDR's administration, back when American politicians had cojones, compared to the current debacle.
The behind-the-scenes view of the New Deal presented in this book is fascinating. Of course, the current economic environment makes the book that much more intriguing.
Great insight to FDRs first 100 days and the importance of one of the greatest cabinets put together. Francis Perkins (1st woman cabinet member) was a great unsung hero!
This's a compelling page-turner even though I was left hungry for details about the sausage making and less about the inner circle's individual backgrounds and personalities. I understand many details of the era and its crises. I also learned a few things about myself as a reader; I read this while also perusing "The Well-Educated Mind."
so many striking similarities to this moment in history...it's also very well-written, and it reads much quicker than i expected it to.
Very interesting book about the first 100 days of FDR's administration. Good information about Frances Perkins.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
