What do You think about Roosevelt: The Soldier Of Freedom, 1940-1945 (2002)?
Certainly well-researched, well-written and informational, but it doesn't seem to really bring President Roosevelt to life. The subject just has to cover so much information, so I don't know if anyone could have done a better job.It covers The Depression and most of WWII, and all the people connected with The President. There are his family, local and national politicians, and the heads of state from during the war. At times it felt rushed, and yet I don't think I'd have had the patience for everything and everyone to be drawn in depth.This 2nd volume seems less interesting than the 1st, but it covers far fewer years. I'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to know about FDR during WWII.
—Gmaharriet
The concluding volume of Burns' biography on FDR - this one covering the war years from just after the 1940 election (leading to an unprecedented third term for FDR) to FDR's death on 4/12/45. Burns does a good job covering Roosevelt's cultivation of his two main Allies: Churchill and Stalin. The multiple overseas conferences are discussed in detail, including Roosevelt's mixed success in trying to appease the various factions of the fractured French government, and also his passive-aggressive treatment of Chiang Kai-Shek of China. Burns devotes a large portion of the book to examining Roosevelt's leadership style, and indicating that how, ultimately, nobody could really ever figure him out. He was alternately charming and cutting, devious and frank, flexible yet stern - all depending on who he was dealing with and when. He rightfully credits FDR for his incredible capacity to handle the demands of the presidency and balance so many diverging major issues simultaneously. Yet, his penchant for secrecy and deviousness alienated many advisers and friends over the years, and ultimately it left Harry Truman in a difficult position upon FDR's sudden (though not wholly unexpected) death. Burns does not really talk in depth about Roosevelt's lack of contingency planning in case anything did happen to him. I enjoyed Burns' first volume more than this one. While well-written, at times the narrative seemed bland to me - oddly detached. Burns talks so much about Roosevelt's leadership qualities and flaws that I think he sometimes missed the more personal side of the man. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt is a very minor player in this book. Yet she still played a big role in his life as far as being a sort of social conscience about issues such as racism. Roosevelt's resumption of seeing his former mistress Lucy Rutherfurd is mentioned perfunctorily. Overall a decent biography, but I prefer Jean Edward Smith's "FDR" or Doris Kearns Goodwin's "No Ordinary Time" for a more well-rounded portrait of FDR.
—Aaron Million
A very good read. This a very balanced biography that discusses many of FDR's successes and good qualities but doesn't sugarcoat some of his controversial actions, most notably the imprisoning of over 100,000 Japanese-Americans during WW2. Goes into depth about FDR's governing style; a recurring theme in the book is his use of popular opinion to guide his actions, and his reluctant, cautious approach to enter WW2 until it was politically feasible and advantageous for the U.S. For example, it was pretty clear FDR wasn't going to immediately provide the second front Stalin desperately wanted in the European theater so as to weaken both Hitler *and* our "ally" Russia. There are many examples of his shrewd negotiating skills in his summits with both Churchill and Stalin (the best part of the book) and more often than not he won over his allies. His health was greatly deteriorating as the war neared its end, and it was a bit disconcerting that the once-sharp FDR ceded some major issues to Stalin he ordinarily wouldn't have done (Poland, voting power in the UN). It's not really a book that goes into details on the battlefield, which is fine since I find reading about war battles a bit tedious. Reading the book you really get to know Roosevelt and when he dies, it almost feels like a death in the family. Highly recommended, especially if you're a history/presidential buff.
—Michael Wenrich
