The Definitive FDR

Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882-1940) and Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940-1945)

By: James MacGregor Burns

Narrated by: David Stifel

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in US history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. James MacGregor Burns's magisterial two-volume biography tells the complete life story of the fascinating political figure who instituted the New Deal.

Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882-1940): Before his ascension to the presidency, FDR laid the groundwork for his unprecedented run with decades of canny political maneuvering and steady consolidation of power. Hailed by the New York Times as "a sensitive, shrewd, and challenging book" and by Newsweek as "a case study unmatched in American political writings," The Lion and the Fox details Roosevelt's youth and education, his rise to national prominence, all the way through his first two terms as president.

Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940-1945): The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning history of FDR's final years examines the president's skillful wartime leadership as well as his vision for postwar peace. Acclaimed by William Shirer as "the definitive book on Roosevelt in the war years," and by bestselling author Barbara Tuchman as "engrossing, informative, endlessly readable," The Soldier of Freedom is a moving profile of a leader gifted with rare political talent in an era of extraordinary challenges.

©1956, 1970 James MacGregor Burns (P)2022 Tantor

The Great Progressive Past

An FDR revival is needed. If FDR had been a conservative Republican, the Right would paint murals of him personally winning battles from Midway to Normandy. FDR’s is a monumental story, the Iliad and the Odyssey do not contain so many tales as this series. Burns’ work should be required reading, for this is our finest leader, a progressive Democrat who saved democracy.

FDR’s leadership in WWII has been intentionally downplayed by conservatives for decades. Some, like Buckley, demonized FDR’s role in the conflict, only granting later that perhaps it all worked out well in the end. Others of the American Right indulged in the Churchill legend, and had less to say about the “Democrat” American leader. This effort to limit discussion of FDR’s leadership in America’s greatest victory contributes to the myth that America was “great” in some legendary conservative past, setting aside the growing number of American right-wingers who are more taken with the Austrian.

Roosevelt led the country through Depression. He won the presidency four times. He did so through handicaps that this title (two books in one) outlines. In retrospect, his court packing scheme seems less concerning than the monumental abuses of subsequent presidents, none worse than the present occupant. Faced with the current Supreme Court, FDR’s proposals may be advisable. Internment camps were an exceptional drawback, but also serve as a lesson for current events.

Dedicated Author

This authors dedication to the study of history is absolutely amazing. The depth of all the supporting characters makes this book so rich.

Very good

I have read quite a few books about FDR this is certainly one of the most interesting and informative ones very well done

Superb and comprehensive

The Burns volumes themselves were, in my view, superb. Though perhaps not as compelling a storyteller as somebody like Robert Cato, Burns was a careful, thorough, and capable biographer, who prepared a deliberate and comprehensive review of a giant’s life. I listened in parallel with my reading a biography of Churchill and John Meacham’s “Franklin and Winston” and the effect was a stereoscopic view of the war years.

The reading was decidedly a mixed bag. On the plus side, the reader does a remarkable imitation of FDR that captures his accent, timbre, and rhythm. (He also, it should be noted, does a passable limitation of Churchill,) Initially, I found the impersonations distracting, but eventually warmed to his FDR. (His imitations – or whatever they are – of figures like Stalin and Hitler and others, however, are just silly.) On the other hand, the reader’s pace is slow, his voice gelatinous, and his butchery of foreign language words – which he insists on rendering with an heroic enunciation that would make Twain faint – is a labor. (If I had to listen to even one more reference to “ray-al-pol-i-TEEK, I might well have expired.)

A man and how he changed world history

Of all the books I have read on FDR and the history of FDR this is by far the best and deserves several readings. It is complete factual and entertaining. 10 / 10