Name: FDR
ISBN: 9781299074361

FDR

One of today's premier biographers has written a modern, comprehensive, indeed ultimate book on the epic life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In this superlative volume, Jean Edward Smith combines contemporary scholarship and a broad range of primary source material to provide an engrossing narrative of one of America's greatest presidents.This is a portrait painted in broad strokes and fine details. We see how Roosevelt's restless energy, fierce intellect, personal magnetism, and ability to project effortless grace permitted him to master countless challenges throughout his life. Smith recounts FDR's battles with polio and physical disability, and how these experiences helped forge the resolve that FDR used to surmount the economic turmoil of the Great Depression and the wartime threat of totalitarianism. Here also is FDR's private life depicted with unprecedented candor and nuance, with close attention paid to the four women who molded his personality and helped to inform his worldview: His mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, formidable yet ever supportive and tender; his wife, Eleanor, whose counsel and affection were instrumental to FDR's public and individual achievements; Lucy Mercer, the great romantic love of FDR's life; and Missy LeHand, FDR's longtime secretary, companion, and confidante, whose adoration of her boss was practically limitless.

What Hacker News says

slyallOct 2022

Top 2 so far:

   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow
   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson

The Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.

The WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.

Also very good:

   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith
   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro
   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King
   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro
   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe
   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley
   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager
   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro
   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager
   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon
   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton

thread

Claude_ShannonApr 2022

Heya,

I know this isn't a question related to anything technical, but since I've often saw discussion about books such as ones by Robert Caro, I thought this could be a nice place to ask.

What are your favourite biographies on various USA presidents? For some reason I'm fascinated in that aspect of USA history, even though I'm not American.

Mine I have so far:

Wilson by A. Scott Berg FDR Bush, both by Jean Edward Smith first three tomes of LBJ tetrology by Robert Caro Trump by Longin Pastusiak

thread