---
product_id: 8237372
title: "FDR"
price: "€ 42.70"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/8237372-fdr
store_origin: FR
region: France
---

# FDR

**Price:** € 42.70
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## Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - "A model presidential biography... Now, at last, we have a biography that is right for the man" - Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World 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. Smith also tackles head-on and in-depth the numerous failures and miscues of Roosevelt’ s public career, including his disastrous attempt to reconstruct the Judiciary; the shameful internment of Japanese-Americans; and Roosevelt’s occasionally self-defeating Executive overreach. Additionally, Smith offers a sensitive and balanced assessment of Roosevelt’s response to the Holocaust, noting its breakthroughs and shortcomings. Summing up Roosevelt’s legacy, Jean Smith declares that FDR, more than any other individual, changed the relationship between the American people and their government. It was Roosevelt who revolutionized the art of campaigning and used the burgeoning mass media to garner public support and allay fears. But more important, Smith gives us the clearest picture yet of how this quintessential Knickerbocker aristocrat, a man who never had to depend on a paycheck, became the common man’s president. The result is a powerful account that adds fresh perspectives and draws profound conclusions about a man whose story is widely known but far less well understood. Written for the general reader and scholars alike, FDR is a stunning biography in every way worthy of its subject.

Review: Great man, good writing, well-researched - It took me an epic amount of time to read this epic biography – not because it was boring, but because it contained so much information. There were hundreds of footnotes for every chapter, and because they often contained additional information beyond the source, I felt compelled to keep a bookmark in the back and read all that was there, slowing down my progress considerably. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy FDR, quite the contrary. It’s just not a book you read between the covers when falling asleep at night. You need to be on your toes to keep track of who is who and of the timeline of events. I’m almost tempted to go back to the start and read it all over again, now that I’ve done all the heavy lifting. If you want to understand how FDR came to be president, what his views were, and what made him such an effective leader, this book is for you. You’ll also get a glimpse of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, though if you’re really interested in her, then her memoirs are probably a better start. The same goes for Winston Churchill, who by necessity gets quite a bit of coverage during the war years, and who for FDR was not only the head of an allied state but also a friend. For further reading about the relationship between the two, I recommend Meacham’s Franklin and Winston. I’m not a historian so can’t attest whether you’ll gain new insights from the pages of this book or not, but that’s precisely why I enjoyed it so much. It’s easy enough for a layman to read, but I don’t doubt that it would also be a great resource for scholarly research. While the war years are certainly described in detail, I found Roosevelt’s early years even more fascinating, because they are not as much written about. His time as secretary of the navy, as governor, even the domestic policy years of his presidency – those all gave great insight into his thinking while making him more human. It’s easy to forget that with all his successes and political savviness, he made his fair share of mistakes. The court stacking scheme during his first term comes to mind. But what made FDR such an exceptional leader and person is that he was able to learn from his mistakes, swallow his pride, and move on. I also was never quite aware of just how much FDR worked himself to death in the pursuit of what he felt was his duty. Whatever you think of his politics, there is no doubt that he sacrificed his health, and ultimate his life, to the American people.
Review: A Leader Through Dark Times - This book is perfect for those who wish to have a comprehensive view of FDR's life from beginning to end. It is well-written and remains interesting throughout. There was a lot to tell about the man who led the country through one of the most tumultous times in our history. After reading, I was left with both respect and some doubts about Roosevelt. He did provide leadership and new ideas during the depression. He deserves credit for his work programs and those that came later that helped seniors and veterans. He was also a brave man despite his aristocratic beginnings. He battled polio bravely and wasn't afraid to put himself in harm's way. As far as the negatives, he shouldn't have remained in office for as long as he did. Yes, it was war time but he was in poor heath towards the end. At times, he also came across as a political bully and the author doesn't hide this. Probably worst of all was his plot to pack the Supreme Court because they weren't doing what he wanted. Probably the strangest part of his life was his relationship with his wife. They both had affairs but the fact that he built her a "cottage" on his property so that she could live with her female friends is just bizarre, especially for those times. We're also kind of left wondering about the relationship between he and his secretary who he named in his will. For better or worse, FDR was one of the most legendary presidents in the nation's history and this book covers the story nicely.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #40,942 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #53 in WWII Biographies #56 in US Presidents #129 in World War II History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,218 Reviews |

## Images

![FDR - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81dxeHCD3uL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great man, good writing, well-researched
*by E***E on November 8, 2016*

It took me an epic amount of time to read this epic biography – not because it was boring, but because it contained so much information. There were hundreds of footnotes for every chapter, and because they often contained additional information beyond the source, I felt compelled to keep a bookmark in the back and read all that was there, slowing down my progress considerably. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy FDR, quite the contrary. It’s just not a book you read between the covers when falling asleep at night. You need to be on your toes to keep track of who is who and of the timeline of events. I’m almost tempted to go back to the start and read it all over again, now that I’ve done all the heavy lifting. If you want to understand how FDR came to be president, what his views were, and what made him such an effective leader, this book is for you. You’ll also get a glimpse of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, though if you’re really interested in her, then her memoirs are probably a better start. The same goes for Winston Churchill, who by necessity gets quite a bit of coverage during the war years, and who for FDR was not only the head of an allied state but also a friend. For further reading about the relationship between the two, I recommend Meacham’s Franklin and Winston. I’m not a historian so can’t attest whether you’ll gain new insights from the pages of this book or not, but that’s precisely why I enjoyed it so much. It’s easy enough for a layman to read, but I don’t doubt that it would also be a great resource for scholarly research. While the war years are certainly described in detail, I found Roosevelt’s early years even more fascinating, because they are not as much written about. His time as secretary of the navy, as governor, even the domestic policy years of his presidency – those all gave great insight into his thinking while making him more human. It’s easy to forget that with all his successes and political savviness, he made his fair share of mistakes. The court stacking scheme during his first term comes to mind. But what made FDR such an exceptional leader and person is that he was able to learn from his mistakes, swallow his pride, and move on. I also was never quite aware of just how much FDR worked himself to death in the pursuit of what he felt was his duty. Whatever you think of his politics, there is no doubt that he sacrificed his health, and ultimate his life, to the American people.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Leader Through Dark Times
*by J***Y on March 16, 2026*

This book is perfect for those who wish to have a comprehensive view of FDR's life from beginning to end. It is well-written and remains interesting throughout. There was a lot to tell about the man who led the country through one of the most tumultous times in our history. After reading, I was left with both respect and some doubts about Roosevelt. He did provide leadership and new ideas during the depression. He deserves credit for his work programs and those that came later that helped seniors and veterans. He was also a brave man despite his aristocratic beginnings. He battled polio bravely and wasn't afraid to put himself in harm's way. As far as the negatives, he shouldn't have remained in office for as long as he did. Yes, it was war time but he was in poor heath towards the end. At times, he also came across as a political bully and the author doesn't hide this. Probably worst of all was his plot to pack the Supreme Court because they weren't doing what he wanted. Probably the strangest part of his life was his relationship with his wife. They both had affairs but the fact that he built her a "cottage" on his property so that she could live with her female friends is just bizarre, especially for those times. We're also kind of left wondering about the relationship between he and his secretary who he named in his will. For better or worse, FDR was one of the most legendary presidents in the nation's history and this book covers the story nicely.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Search for perfect FDR bio goes on ...
*by J***5 on September 11, 2012*

Jean Edward Smith is a fine writer and biographer, with an ear for anecdotes, who paints in broad strokes. As with his biography of U.S. Grant, Smith is a sympathetic admirer of his subject. He's written a solid and easily readable one-volume account of a man whose life could (and has) clearly fill several volumes. Most authors who've written about FDR are very favorable toward Roosevelt and his policies. The resulting cascade of hagiographic books has given rise to a smaller batch of tracts arguing that Roosevelt ushered in all kinds changes detrimental to the long-term health of the U.S. What's yet to be written in a truly balanced account of Roosevelt that judges him as harshly for his failures as it does generously for his successes. Smith's account doesn't do that, either. Roosevelt was a great president and the nation was truly fortunate to have him in charge for his leadership during World War Two. Even if conservative critics are right about most of FDR's economic policies, the perceived harm is outweighed by his masterful guidance of the U.S. in war. His handling of the military and the allies was generally superb. If anything, Roosevelt is underpraised for his actions during his third term. He would not be considered a great president today if his tenure ended after his second term and another president presided over World War Two. Nor would the New Deal be seen in such a favorable light. That's because his handling of the Great Depression is decidedly mixed. FDR signed some vital legislation in the early days of his first year that contributed the future stability of the U.S. economy. Banking and Wall Street reform fit the bill. Yet an impatient Roosevelt, eager for a faster recovery, also pushed laws that extended and even deepened the depression (1937-38). The biggest monstrosity was the National Industrial Recovery Act, arguably the worst piece of economic legislation ever passed in the United States. It was later struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Other acts of folly included the advent of costly farm-crop subsidies that linger to this day and the imposition of tax and regulatory policies that punished business, especially the undistributed profits tax. It was not all FDR's fault. He was not much of a public-policy intellectual and didn't know a lot about economics. The science of economics was not as well understood then as it is now and Roosevelt frequently changed advisers when the results of prior policies were not to his liking. His willingness to constantly change policies - favoring monopolies in his first term, for example, and antitrust enforcement in his second - could be seen as the work of a nimble mind showing "bold, persistent experimentation." Or it could be seen as the sort of inconsistency that confused business and prolonged the bad times. When things did not go Roosevelt's way, he could be extremely vindictive toward his political adversaries. His effort to pack the Supreme Court is a perfect example. He was shockingly disingenuous about his naked political reasons for doing so and he even campaigned against members of his own party who refused to go along (disastrously for FDR, as it turned out). Roosevelt also lacked political courage at key junctures to resist the political tide, such as the move to impress Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. He too easily gets a pass for that ill-fated decision, though in this particular case Smith is unrelenting. In his personal life, FDR strayed on his wife, was often absent for his kids and would distance himself from friends, especially political friends, when he sensed they were no longer useful. In short, he was a gregarious public man who was privately inscrutable. The master politician was not self-reflective and seldom let people know what he really thought. Smith's book only touches on only some of this. He ignores FDR's economic failures, perhaps because he is not deeply versed in the subject matter. He largely skirts past domestic policies after the first year of the New Deal (1933) and the court-packing plan (1937). And he does little to explain exactly why Roosevelt was such a great wartime leader. The war years are rushed through. More details, as another reviewer wrote, would have made the book even better. And yet for all those flaws, Smith has arguably produced the most readable and accessible one-volume biography of Roosevelt. A fuller and fairer treatment of FDR - one that is more critical about his shortcomings - has yet to be written. Perhaps it never will. FDR is in the exalted company of George, Abraham and Teddy - the only presidents who to this day generate deep respect, admiration and even awe among scholars and the general public alike.

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*Product available on Desertcart France*
*Store origin: FR*
*Last updated: 2026-05-21*