Rightful Heritage

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America

By: Douglas Brinkley

Narrated by: William Dufris

The acclaimed, award-winning historian—“America’s new past master” (Chicago Tribune)—examines the environmental legacy of FDR and the New Deal.

Douglas Brinkley’s The Wilderness Warrior celebrated Theodore Roosevelt’s spirit of outdoor exploration and bold vision to protect 234 million acres of wild America. Now, in Rightful Heritage, Brinkley turns his attention to the other indefatigable environmental leader—Teddy’s distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, chronicling his essential yet under-sung legacy as the founder of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and premier protector of America’s public lands. FDR built from scratch dozens of State Park systems and scenic roadways. Pristine landscapes such as the Great Smokies, the Everglades, Joshua Tree, the Olympics, Big Bend, Channel Islands, Mammoth Cave, and the slickrock wilderness of Utah were forever saved by his leadership.

Brinkley traces FDR’s love for the natural world from his youth exploring the Hudson River Valley and bird watching. As America’s president from 1933 to 1945, Roosevelt—consummate political strategist—established hundreds of federal migratory bird refuges and spearheaded the modern endangered species movement. He brilliantly positioned his conservation goals as economic policy to combat the severe unemployment of the Great Depression. During its nine-year existence, the CCC put nearly three million young men to work on conservation projects—including building trails in the national parks, pollution control, land restoration to combat the Dust Bowl, and planting over two billion trees.

Rightful Heritage is an epic chronicle that is both an irresistible portrait of FDR’s unrivaled passion and drive, and an indispensable analysis that skillfully illuminates the tension between business and nature—exploiting our natural resources and conserving them. Within the narrative are brilliant capsule biographies of such environmental warriors as Eleanor Roosevelt, Harold Ickes, and Rosalie Edge. Rightful Heritage is essential reading for everyone seeking to preserve our treasured landscapes as an American birthright.

Fascinating focus on FDR’s passion

Rightful Heritage
Franklin D. Roosevelt & the Land of America

By Douglas Brinkley

Mr. Brinkley’s book is an excellent focus on a very large part of FDR’s life and career. I found it very interesting.
Most probably know FDR’s older cousin Theodore Roosevelt played an integral part in establishing our national parks, conservation and protection of historic sites.
Here you become very well acquainted with the fact that FDR, in continuing that legacy, likely affected the NPS and Forest Service even more than TR. He did try to emulate TR in many ways, however there were other familial influences also. FDR was fascinated with nature, continuing his efforts while also dealing with the Great Depression and prosecuting WWII.
As usual, Mr. Brinkley did not disappoint.

An FDR Relevant for Today

We think of FDR as the strong leader who guided America through the Depression and defeating Hitler. Few remember that FDR won landslide victories on the simple platform of planting trees. So many details in this story are applicable to today. FDR, the political genius, shows us the way.

Outstanding

I have read many books about FDR, but had no idea how much he's did for conservation.
This book is a great miss of history and his love of the environment.

Environmentalist from the beginning

Brinkley does great job crafting the story and highlights how environmental issues were central to FDR. The vision for forestry is amazing. That a balance between the environment and WWII production could be struck was impressive.

The narrator has a great voice but cannot pronounce Latin species names and numerous geographical locations across the US. As a scientist, just leave the Latin binomials out - if we really care we just will read it in the book. It can’t believe no one caught how he pronounced Cape Hatteras

A must listen

This is probably the best book I've read in a year. So much history. When I was finished I wanted to grab a shovel and start planting trees. I like the national parks or state parks or just to have in inkling to read a great historical book this it.