Book Description

This digital document is an article from Biography, published by University of Hawaii Press on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 322 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945.(Book Review)
Author: Thomas Powers
Publication: Biography (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Volume: 26Issue: 2Page: 382(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Reviews (1)

Details the friendship between Roosevelt and Churchill.
A very good and readable book that details the friendship between two of the greatest leaders in the twentieth century. Both the President and the Prime Minister had huge egos, and were known to be difficult, but the friendship that developed between them helped the Allies win the war with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Many interesting stories of the personal lives of both Roosevelt and Churchill. The friendship that developed between these two great men helped in the post war world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A solid juvenile biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt
I was struck by the fact that even though with the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt we are talking about a man elected to the Presidency for four terms that author Alice Osinski only devotes half of the ten chapters in this volume of the Encyclopedia of Presidents to his time in the White House.The opening chapter, following the format of this series, focuses on a pivotal moment in the life of its subject.In FDR's case it would be the day he took the oath of office on March 4, 1933, when the nation was hoping that a man who had fought against the crippling effects of a disease and learned to walk ago could help bring the country to its feet as well.

Roosevelt's life and political career makes for a solid organizational structure for this volume.Early chapters cover his privileged life as the scion of a wealthy family, his education, and his marriage to his (fifth) cousin Eleanor.Roosevelt's early political career is seen as "Following in the Footsteps of Cousin Teddy" and young readers will probably be surprised to learn that FDR was on the Democratic ticket in 1920 as the running mate of James M. Cox.Osinski makes an interesting strategic choice by labelling FDR's attack of polio as "A Minor Setback"; certainly, in retrospective it constiuted such, but clearly at the time it had to look like the end of any and all political ambitions for Roosevelt (Note: The chapter is only 3 pages long, which explains why there are only a "few" chapter on the Presidency--they are longer chapters).

After a chapter looking at Roosevelt's political comeback, being elected governor of New York in 1928, and then President four years later.The chapters devoted to FDR's presidency are not defined by his terms, but rather by the issues with which he dealt: the New Deal as a response to the Great Depression, establishing the Arsenal of Democracy as preparation for World War II, American involvement in World II (going past FDR's death in 1945), and a final chapter looking at Roosevelt's political legacy.The strength of this volume is that it provides not only the biographical details of FDR's life, but tries to give young readers a good sense of his important accomplishments in transforming the role of government in the United States.

In the end Osinksi claims that for better or worse, no other president has had a deeper or more lasting impact on life in the United States.Abraham Lincoln saved the union, but Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the relationship between the people and their government.The institutions created by FDR to prevent another Great Depression exist today, as do other social programs.The book is illustrated with black & white photographs from FDR's personal and political life, including a couple of nice political cartoons by Berryman (you can never have too many of those).Granted, these books do not look modern (you would swear they were printed in the 1950s), but they are quite informative, which is the desired goal. ... Read more

Book Description

Historian Kenneth E. Hendrickson has compiled the most comprehensive English language bibliography ever on a single individual and his influence. With nearly 10,000 entries, this unprecedented resource contains references and annotations to all books, articles, and dissertations (written and published to 1994) concerning Franklin Delano Roosevelt his life, his presidency, important people, and events. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A juvenile biography for young readers to learn about FDR
"Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Photo-Illustrated Biography" by Steve Potts is a brief biography of the 32nd President of the United States intended for younger readers.Potts begins by contrasting the fact that Roosevelt served longer than any other president with his being confined to a wheelchair.The format is quite simple: a full page black & white photograph on the left-side of each two-page spread with three or four paragraphs of text under appropriate headings from "School Years" and "Franklin and Eleanor" to "The Great Depression" and "World War II."The point here is clearly to introduce very young readers to the main elements of FDR's life.Consequently, it is short of details but long on highlights.The back of the book includes a couple of famous Words spoken by FDR, Important Dates in his life, Words to Know, and a list of books, addresses and Internet sites for additional information.There are lots of more detailed juvenile histories of Roosevelt available, but this is a good place to start for those who want to find out more about the face on the dime. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The informative easy read
This book, although geared toward an adolescent audience, provided me not only with an excellent background in to FDR's life and decisons, but also addressed issues about his presidency which is rarely found in any book for young adults. The language of the book is pithy and clear, and hence appropriate for any age group. My Grandmother adores the series, after reading any of the books she feels as though she has really learned something. Also, the books themselves are very attractive. ... Read more

Book Description

Somerville, the only living person who as an adult worked closely with Mrs. Roosevelt, was an aide and friend to the First Lady. Her chronicle of a decade with the Roosevelts focuses on the woman whose compassion and generosity reshaped the world. ... Read more

Book Description

Behind-the-scenes look at the origins of some of America's best-loved stamps, as well as insights on FDR's thoughts on a variety of subjects. Each chapter features detailed information on the stamps issued during FDR's presidency, such as the first day of issue, the designer, the engravers, the quantity issued, plate numbers and varieties. ... Read more