Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America

Library of American Biography

by Allan M. Winkler

This clear and concise biography of FDR for the Library of American Biography series immerses students in both the personal and political life of one of the twentieth century’s most important figures, during whose presidency the country experienced two of its severest The Great Depression and World War II. Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each of the titles in the Library of American Biography series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American History and national life. In addition, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times. This text incorporates the latest scholarship and draws upon the longer, far more extensive studies of Roosevelt’s life and times, but makes the story accessible to students in both survey and upper division courses in American history.

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2005

About the author

Allan M. Winkler is Distinguished Professor of History at Miami University of Ohio.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

In his introduction, Allan Winkler states that this was a book that he had wanted to write for his entire academic career, a desire rooted both in his longtime interest in the era and his respect for other volumes in the Library of American Biography series. He goes on to cite two volumes in particular - Edmund Morgan's The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop and John Morton Blum's Woodrow Wilson and the Politics of Morality - as ones that particularly impressed him.

Sadly, this book suffers by comparison to those earlier works. Part of the problem lies in Winkler's effort to grapple with the particulars of Franklin Roosevelt's life, one that included the longest presidency in American history, during which he lead the nation through the twin crises of the Great Depression and the Second World War. Such a career is filled with detail, and often Winkler seems overwhelmed by it all. All too often, the text degenerates into a litany of developments, with little overarching or explanatory analysis. Winkler's writing contributes to this, as he serves up standard prose containing no hint of the passion for his subject that he describes in his introduction.

As a result, Winkler's book doesn't measure up to the lofty standards of the series set by the volumes he cites as his inspiration. Though not a bad work, it fails to capture its legendary subject, losing him instead in the minutiae of his career. Readers seeking an introduction to Franklin Roosevelt would be better served by reading Patrick Renshaw's Franklin D. Roosevelt which as a perceptive, analytical, and well-written account of FDR's life is everything that Winkler's book is not.

[Cody Gillespie-Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this for a class I am taking. It's a very straightforward look at F.D.R. Not overly exciting, and obviously there are more informative, in depth analysis's, but if you just want a superficial glance at Roosevelt. This book does the job.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it was concise, a nice 205 pages.

[LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written, solid.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't know that much about FDR. I enjoyed learning about his try-everything-until-something-works attitude.

[Jessica Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO far it is a fast and quick way to understand what is going on in the time of the great depression.