Nothing to Fear
FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created ModernAmerica
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
"A fascinating account of an extraordinary moment in the life of the United States." --The New York Times
With the world currently in the grips of a financial crisis unlike anything since the Great Depression, Nothing to Fear could not be timelier. This acclaimed work of history brings to life Franklin Roosevelt's first hundred days in office, when he and his inner circle launched the New Deal, forever reinventing the role of the federal government. As Cohen reveals, five fiercely intelligent, often clashing personalities presided over this transformation and pushed the president to embrace a bold solution. Nothing to Fear is the definitive portrait of the men and women who engineered the nation's recovery from the worst economic crisis in American history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
New York Times editorial board member Cohen (coauthor, American Pharaoh) delivers an exemplary and remarkably timely narrative of FDR's famous first "Hundred Days" as president. Providing a new perspective on an oft-told story, Cohen zeroes in on the five Roosevelt aides-de-camp whom he rightly sees as having been the most influential in developing FDR's wave of extraordinary actions. These were agriculture secretary Henry Wallace, presidential aide Raymond Moley, budget director Lewis Douglas, labor secretary Frances Perkins and Civil Works Administration director Harry Hopkins. This group, Cohen emphasizes, did not work in concert. The liberal Perkins, Wallace and Hopkins often clashed with Douglas, one of the few free-marketers in FDR's court. Moley hovered somewhere in between the two camps. As Cohen shows, the liberals generally prevailed in debates. However, the vital foundation for FDR's New Deal was crafted through a process of rigorous argument within the president's innermost circle rather than ideological consensus. Cohen's exhaustively researched and eloquently argued book provides a vital new level of insight into Roosevelt's sweeping expansion of the federal government's role in our national life.
Customer Reviews
Disappointed
Great book, I am disappointed however that it's for sale by apple for 12.99 and I bought the paper copy for a dollar at the dollar tree. I thought the point of these ebooks was to make the books cheaper and easier to read.
Amazing
This book was one of the most amazing books I've ever read! Highly, highly, highly recommended reading, not just because of how the actors changed America forever, but as a study in management and managing people of string wills that are not easily managed!
Not what I was expecting
This was an interesting read on FDR's cabinet and the faceless players of the New Deal. History accredits much of the New Deal and it's programs to FDR, but very little is said about the figures that influenced Roosevelt. This was the point of the book obviously since FDR looms in the background of the tribulations of people like Perkins, Hopkins, and Moley. Personally, I was hoping to learn more about FDR but this book is great window into Washington during the New Deal.