What do you think?
Rate this book
The American Presidents #32
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
A protean figure and a man of massive achievement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only man to be elected to the presidency more than twice. In a ranking of chief executives, no more than three of his predecessors could truly be placed in contention with his standing, and of his successors, there are so far none. In acute, stylish prose, Roy Jenkins tackles all of the nuances and intricacies of FDR's character. He was a skilled politician with astounding flexibility; he oversaw an incomparable mobilization of American industrial and military effort, all the while arousing great loyalty and dazzling those around him with his personal charm. Despite several setbacks and one apparent catastrophe, his life was buoyed by the influence of Eleanor, who was not only a wife but an adviser and one of the twentieth century's greatest political reformers. Nearly complete before Lord Jenkins' death in January 2003, this volume was finished by historian Richard Neustadt.
Paperback
First published November 4, 2003
39 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
Roy Jenkins
76 books36 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM PC was a Welsh politician. Once prominent as a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) and government minister in the 1960s and 1970s, he became the first (and so far only) British President of the European Commission (1977-81) and one of the four principal founders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981. He was also a distinguished writer, especially of biographies.
-Wikipedia
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM PC was a Welsh politician. Once prominent as a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) and government minister in the 1960s and 1970s, he became the first (and so far only) British President of the European Commission (1977-81) and one of the four principal founders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981. He was also a distinguished writer, especially of biographies.
-Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 23, 2010
I love FDR. Of course. He was the O.G. of socialist U.S. presidents. (It's a lucky thing that the Tea Party set has no cultural memory -- one of the many qualities of which they are deficient.) Sure, FDR fucked up now and again -- as with his foolish attempt to enlarge the Supreme Court by several members when he didn't much care for the verdicts those old coots were handing down -- but all in all he was a badass, a Superstar of the Executive Branch, with some very progressive ideas and a can-do determinism that saw the U.S. through the Great Depression and WWII.
I do not, however, love Roy Jenkins, the author of this mini-biography (171 pages) of FDR in the New York Times-published American Presidents series. And no I am not quibbling with this cursory treatment of a president who served three terms and was elected to a fourth. This series of presidential biographies is exactly what it purports to be -- a collection of short overviews of presidential lives.
First of all, let me point out that Jenkins never lived to complete this book. I don't of course fault him for this radical evasion of his duties, but it's an interesting (but ultimately meaningless) coincidence that Roosevelt died shortly into his fourth term and that Jenkins died shortly into writing about Roosevelt's campaigning for his fourth term. Weird, huh? Well, not especially, I guess, but the book's final fifteen pages were completed by Richard E. Neustadt, based upon Jenkins' notes, and actually mark an improvement in writing style over Jenkins'.
Who am I to endorse or to contest the historical scholarship of Roy Jenkins -- or of anybody else, for that matter? No, I must inevitably base my ratings of books of this sort on how well they are written and not on their accuracy, insight, or thoroughness. Of the later qualities, I am generally an unfit judge. With respect to writing style, on the other hand, I can claim that I am a reader -- an erstwhile voracious reader -- and a writer, too, and therefore I don't feel unqualified to assert that Jenkins' book is poorly-written. A real, old-fashioned clunker.
One of Jenkins' greatest faults in this biography of FDR is that he occasionally seems to become distracted and lose sight of the identity of his subject. Later in the book, for example, I think he forgets that he isn't writing a book about Winston Churchill (which he already wrote) or about the Allied involvement in WWII more generally.
This brings us to a pertinent fact. Jenkins is British. His perspective throughout the book is conspicuously Anglocentric, comparing American political events and issues to their British analogies, as if his intended reading audience has (as a prerequisite) a thorough knowledge of British history already at his/her disposal. This seems especially odd considering that the presidential series is published by a vanity press of the New York Times, which would presume a primarily American audience.
Jenkins was clearly infatuated to some extent with Winston Churchill. In fact, it's a little embarrassing for him. We wish he had the courage to ask Winston out on a date. But meanwhile, he is writing an FDR bio, and yet he's telling us inconsequential anecdotes about Churchill -- and in an abridged format that is already pressed for time. (Perhaps we can blame these lapses of good authorial judgment on declining health?)
Okay. Here's a little confession of mine. Whenever I pick up a nonfiction book that I might be interested in reading, one of the first things I do is look at the 'about the author' blurb... because I need to know if the author is British. If he or she is British, my probability of reading the book is greatly diminished, and not on the grounds that I dislike the British but that in my experience, in the realm of nonfiction at least, a British author tends toward an elliptical, unclear, and often figurative style.
For example, in lieu of saying precisely what he means, in this book Jenkins says (about Barnard Baruch) that he 'was not a man with whom to hunt butterflies, let alone tigers.' Even given the context, I am still not sure what this means, and maybe this makes me stupid... but then my stupidity, ipso facto, demands a greater attention to clarity in historical writing. And with British writers, I find, besides the language difference (wink wink), there is a tendency toward the florid, if not the arcane.
I do not, however, love Roy Jenkins, the author of this mini-biography (171 pages) of FDR in the New York Times-published American Presidents series. And no I am not quibbling with this cursory treatment of a president who served three terms and was elected to a fourth. This series of presidential biographies is exactly what it purports to be -- a collection of short overviews of presidential lives.
First of all, let me point out that Jenkins never lived to complete this book. I don't of course fault him for this radical evasion of his duties, but it's an interesting (but ultimately meaningless) coincidence that Roosevelt died shortly into his fourth term and that Jenkins died shortly into writing about Roosevelt's campaigning for his fourth term. Weird, huh? Well, not especially, I guess, but the book's final fifteen pages were completed by Richard E. Neustadt, based upon Jenkins' notes, and actually mark an improvement in writing style over Jenkins'.
Who am I to endorse or to contest the historical scholarship of Roy Jenkins -- or of anybody else, for that matter? No, I must inevitably base my ratings of books of this sort on how well they are written and not on their accuracy, insight, or thoroughness. Of the later qualities, I am generally an unfit judge. With respect to writing style, on the other hand, I can claim that I am a reader -- an erstwhile voracious reader -- and a writer, too, and therefore I don't feel unqualified to assert that Jenkins' book is poorly-written. A real, old-fashioned clunker.
One of Jenkins' greatest faults in this biography of FDR is that he occasionally seems to become distracted and lose sight of the identity of his subject. Later in the book, for example, I think he forgets that he isn't writing a book about Winston Churchill (which he already wrote) or about the Allied involvement in WWII more generally.
This brings us to a pertinent fact. Jenkins is British. His perspective throughout the book is conspicuously Anglocentric, comparing American political events and issues to their British analogies, as if his intended reading audience has (as a prerequisite) a thorough knowledge of British history already at his/her disposal. This seems especially odd considering that the presidential series is published by a vanity press of the New York Times, which would presume a primarily American audience.
Jenkins was clearly infatuated to some extent with Winston Churchill. In fact, it's a little embarrassing for him. We wish he had the courage to ask Winston out on a date. But meanwhile, he is writing an FDR bio, and yet he's telling us inconsequential anecdotes about Churchill -- and in an abridged format that is already pressed for time. (Perhaps we can blame these lapses of good authorial judgment on declining health?)
Okay. Here's a little confession of mine. Whenever I pick up a nonfiction book that I might be interested in reading, one of the first things I do is look at the 'about the author' blurb... because I need to know if the author is British. If he or she is British, my probability of reading the book is greatly diminished, and not on the grounds that I dislike the British but that in my experience, in the realm of nonfiction at least, a British author tends toward an elliptical, unclear, and often figurative style.
For example, in lieu of saying precisely what he means, in this book Jenkins says (about Barnard Baruch) that he 'was not a man with whom to hunt butterflies, let alone tigers.' Even given the context, I am still not sure what this means, and maybe this makes me stupid... but then my stupidity, ipso facto, demands a greater attention to clarity in historical writing. And with British writers, I find, besides the language difference (wink wink), there is a tendency toward the florid, if not the arcane.
August 21, 2024
Franklin D. Roosevelt In The American Presidents Series
Over the years, I have learned a great deal about American history and about the presidency from the American Presidents Series. Founded by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., the series currently includes short, accessible biographies of each former American president with the exception of Barack Obama. The series will teach readers about less-familiar American presidents and about great, well-known leaders. Roy Jenkins' short 2003 book about Franklin D. Roosevelt falls in the latter category. The 32nd president, Roosevelt (1882 -- 1945), was elected to four terms between 1933 and 1945 and led the United States through the Great Depression and through WW II. The British statesman and historian Roy Jenkins died shortly before completing this book; his friend Richard Neustadt of Harvard University wrote the work's last few pages.
Roosevelt was a larger-than-life-figure, and any single short biography can do little more than skim the surface. Still, Jenkins' simply and eloquently written book shows the breadth and nature of Roosevelt's accomplishment and of his importance to history. The book allows the reader to see a difficult, complex individual who led the United States and the world through critical times. The book gives a view of Roosevelt's many warts as well as of his skills as a leader.
The first third of the book covers Roosevelt's pre-presidential life. It begins with a lengthy, insightful comparison of FDR's life and accomplishment with those of his distant cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, like FDR born to a life of privilege. This is followed by a discussion of Roosevelt's marriage to Eleanor and its impact on his personal and political life. The book discusses Roosevelt's service as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Wilson presidency and the lasting impact of this service on Roosevelt's view of international affairs. Jenkins emphasizes Roosevelt's courageous overcoming of polio which he contracted at 39 and which threatened to end his career. Roosevelt's courageous response and effort to overcome this disease was crucial to the indomitable optimistic spirit that was central to his presidency. He discusses Roosevelt's tenure as governor of New York and its role in leading to his presidential nomination.
The discussion of Roosevelt's presidency begins with his domestic program to combat the Depression and to the heady, experimental character of many of the programs during the first term. As soon as his landslide re-election for the second term, some of Roosevelt's magic began to fade with his plan to "pack" the Supreme Court with additional Justices. The Court had been declaring several of Roosevelt's early programs unconstitutional. The latter part of the book shifts to the entry into WW II and to the War effort. Jenkins describes well the consideration Roosevelt gave to seeking an unprecedented third term as president and the long-range impact of his decision to do so. There is a good, if brief discussion of Roosevelt's and his aide Harry Hopkins relationship to Winston Churchill and to their partnership in pursuing the War. The final section of the book discusses Roosevelt's failing health and his selection of Harry Truman as his fourth-term running mate. The final pages of the book, written by Neustadt, consider the consequences of FDR's death on the post-WW II world.
I enjoyed revisiting and learning more about Roosevelt in this book. I was left with an impression of a United States of a different time on a heroic scale with a mission and sense of itself, willing to do whatever it took to combat the Depression at home and to win a necessary War abroad.
Robin Friedman
Over the years, I have learned a great deal about American history and about the presidency from the American Presidents Series. Founded by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., the series currently includes short, accessible biographies of each former American president with the exception of Barack Obama. The series will teach readers about less-familiar American presidents and about great, well-known leaders. Roy Jenkins' short 2003 book about Franklin D. Roosevelt falls in the latter category. The 32nd president, Roosevelt (1882 -- 1945), was elected to four terms between 1933 and 1945 and led the United States through the Great Depression and through WW II. The British statesman and historian Roy Jenkins died shortly before completing this book; his friend Richard Neustadt of Harvard University wrote the work's last few pages.
Roosevelt was a larger-than-life-figure, and any single short biography can do little more than skim the surface. Still, Jenkins' simply and eloquently written book shows the breadth and nature of Roosevelt's accomplishment and of his importance to history. The book allows the reader to see a difficult, complex individual who led the United States and the world through critical times. The book gives a view of Roosevelt's many warts as well as of his skills as a leader.
The first third of the book covers Roosevelt's pre-presidential life. It begins with a lengthy, insightful comparison of FDR's life and accomplishment with those of his distant cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, like FDR born to a life of privilege. This is followed by a discussion of Roosevelt's marriage to Eleanor and its impact on his personal and political life. The book discusses Roosevelt's service as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Wilson presidency and the lasting impact of this service on Roosevelt's view of international affairs. Jenkins emphasizes Roosevelt's courageous overcoming of polio which he contracted at 39 and which threatened to end his career. Roosevelt's courageous response and effort to overcome this disease was crucial to the indomitable optimistic spirit that was central to his presidency. He discusses Roosevelt's tenure as governor of New York and its role in leading to his presidential nomination.
The discussion of Roosevelt's presidency begins with his domestic program to combat the Depression and to the heady, experimental character of many of the programs during the first term. As soon as his landslide re-election for the second term, some of Roosevelt's magic began to fade with his plan to "pack" the Supreme Court with additional Justices. The Court had been declaring several of Roosevelt's early programs unconstitutional. The latter part of the book shifts to the entry into WW II and to the War effort. Jenkins describes well the consideration Roosevelt gave to seeking an unprecedented third term as president and the long-range impact of his decision to do so. There is a good, if brief discussion of Roosevelt's and his aide Harry Hopkins relationship to Winston Churchill and to their partnership in pursuing the War. The final section of the book discusses Roosevelt's failing health and his selection of Harry Truman as his fourth-term running mate. The final pages of the book, written by Neustadt, consider the consequences of FDR's death on the post-WW II world.
I enjoyed revisiting and learning more about Roosevelt in this book. I was left with an impression of a United States of a different time on a heroic scale with a mission and sense of itself, willing to do whatever it took to combat the Depression at home and to win a necessary War abroad.
Robin Friedman
September 26, 2017
Although he was lacking in his personal life Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen. A must read for all.
October 20, 2019
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the thirtieth-first book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. Roy Jenkins wrote this particular installment, completed by Richard E. Neustadt, and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by the initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the thirty-second president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the twentieth century.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt comprises a concise yet coherent and quite reliable summation of Roosevelt's fascinating life and presidency. Jenkins captures FDR in all his contradictions, born a Knickerbocker squire from New York's Hudson Valley is arguably the most Europe-oriented minded as FDR was peculiarly successful at transcending geography and uniting the continent. Whomever he met, he charmed, be it some simple farmer or Winston Churchill.
However, the one he charmed before most others, his fifth cousin and spouse, Eleanor Roosevelt, came to view him cynically. She recognized that intermixed with his enormous capacity and willingness to do good that there was a certain self-serving casualness that permitted numerous petty lies perpetrated on friends, allies and family.
Elegantly describing FDR's course through a score of personal and political ordeals, Jenkins astutely shows us the man in all his many incarnations: the confident son of privilege who morphed into a wry, young politico on the rise; the startled victim, for whom all things had previously come so easily, hitting the brick wall of polio and fighting back, strenuously leading his broken country out of its two great twentieth century crises: the Great Depression and World War II.
All in all, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a good, albeit brief biography of the thirtieth-second President and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by the initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the thirty-second president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the twentieth century.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt comprises a concise yet coherent and quite reliable summation of Roosevelt's fascinating life and presidency. Jenkins captures FDR in all his contradictions, born a Knickerbocker squire from New York's Hudson Valley is arguably the most Europe-oriented minded as FDR was peculiarly successful at transcending geography and uniting the continent. Whomever he met, he charmed, be it some simple farmer or Winston Churchill.
However, the one he charmed before most others, his fifth cousin and spouse, Eleanor Roosevelt, came to view him cynically. She recognized that intermixed with his enormous capacity and willingness to do good that there was a certain self-serving casualness that permitted numerous petty lies perpetrated on friends, allies and family.
Elegantly describing FDR's course through a score of personal and political ordeals, Jenkins astutely shows us the man in all his many incarnations: the confident son of privilege who morphed into a wry, young politico on the rise; the startled victim, for whom all things had previously come so easily, hitting the brick wall of polio and fighting back, strenuously leading his broken country out of its two great twentieth century crises: the Great Depression and World War II.
All in all, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a good, albeit brief biography of the thirtieth-second President and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
November 17, 2015
A primarily boring biography focusing on Roosevelt's political moves and very little on the man himself. Long sections of test are dedicated to breakdowns of whom Roosevelt appointed to various positions, occasionally with a note about the effect of that appointment, much to the boredom of the reader. Names of propositions and bills, passed and failed, and mentioned quickly with cursory explanations as to their content and effect, without giving much insight. Perhaps partly because I just read an excellent biography on Churchill, this book left me A) wondering what the point of the book was and 2) feeling ambivalent toward the poor president--neither impressed or disappointed with FDR. Biographies like this are why people don't like biographies.
January 1, 2022
Definitely some insightful observations by a superbly intellectual author, but it is unclear to me who the audience was intended to be— there were a lot of references to British history (both contemporaneous with FDR and not) and words and phrases that I have never seen used before in my 55 years on the earth when there are perfectly good alternatives available (e.g. "otiose," "mutatis mutandis," "alarum," "je vous ai compris"). A few instances of that would be alright and even desirable, but struggling through a vocabulary lesson on nearly every page of the book wasn't the point of reading it for me.
January 1, 2021
I shouldn't have stuck with this book as long as I did, but I hate giving up on a book. There are too many good books to stick with one I really don't like, but I stuck with this one. I suppose the book itself is OK, but it's just not my type of book. It's written in a way that made me feel like I was reading a textbook or something. I do like reading some biographies, but this one just wasn't my style.
April 26, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2: While more engrossing, expansive treatments exist (Goodwin, Dallek, etc.), this short biography is a perfect introduction to (or review of) one of the most important presidents in history. This is my first serving of The American Presidents titles, and I intend to sample others, especially in relation to the obscure (I hardly could stomach a tome about a Van Buren or Fillmore, but I’d be open to reading their treatment in this welcome series.).
November 28, 2023
Insightful. The accomplishments of FDR should never be understated.
April 15, 2017
A brief overview of FDR's path to the presidency and his continuing impact on the world.
This was the book that Jenkins was working on at the time of his death. The last section was completed by his friend Richard Neusdadt. Ironically, this was about Roosevelt's declining health.
As ever with Jenkins his prose sparkles and introduces new words into the reader's lexicon. But that time would have permitted completion of a major biography of FDR by Jenkins.
This was the book that Jenkins was working on at the time of his death. The last section was completed by his friend Richard Neusdadt. Ironically, this was about Roosevelt's declining health.
As ever with Jenkins his prose sparkles and introduces new words into the reader's lexicon. But that time would have permitted completion of a major biography of FDR by Jenkins.
July 14, 2025
Straightforward no nonsense biography.
July 22, 2022
British politician Roy Jenkins died while writing the political biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt for The American Presidents Series. The biography was finished by the late American-born political scientist Richard E. Elliot at the request of Roy Jenkins’s widow, Jennifer Jenkins. The biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was published in 2003. Roy Jenkins is a character in this biography of Franklin Roosevelt (35, 57). During his political career in Great Britain, Jenkins was a supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the early version of the European Union (EU). Jenkins was a Labor Party member and the Social Democratic Party. For example, Roy Jenkins met Franklin, Eleanor, and Sara Roosevelt in 1939 at Franklin Roosevelt's family home at Hyde Park in the state of New York. Jenkins was visiting Hyde Park with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie (35). Jenkins’s biography of Franklin Roosevelt has several references to British and European political history (15, 58). Jenkins’s biography of Franklin Roosevelt was written before further steps towards universal health care in the United States by the Affordable Care Act during the presidency of Barack Obama in 2010. Franklin Roosevelt proposed universal health care in January 1945 (143). Jenkins’s book has an Introduction, that introduces themes and the focus of Jenkins’s biography. This book includes a Timeline. Similar to the other books in The American Presidents series, Jenkins’s biography of Frankin Delano Roosevelt is short, compelling, and well-researched. On a side note, Steve of the blog, My Journey through the Best Presidential Biographies has excellent reviews of several of The American Presidents series biographies.
Work Cited:
Cunningham, Lillian. 2016. “Barack Obama: The Pursuit of Identity,” The Washington Post-Presidential Podcast, November 6, Retrieved: July 18, 2022. (Barack Obama and the search for identity - The Washington Post)
Levy, Michael. 2022. “Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillheads.” Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved: July 18, 2022.
(Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead | British politician | Britannica).
Work Cited:
Cunningham, Lillian. 2016. “Barack Obama: The Pursuit of Identity,” The Washington Post-Presidential Podcast, November 6, Retrieved: July 18, 2022. (Barack Obama and the search for identity - The Washington Post)
Levy, Michael. 2022. “Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillheads.” Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved: July 18, 2022.
(Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead | British politician | Britannica).
October 1, 2019
Okay so, right away this guy is on my nerves...
Page one: "In any rating of presidents there can be no more than three of his predecessors who could be placed in contention with him, and of his successors there are so far none...."
Who IS this guy? Oh, he's a British Labour Party politician. Noted.
Now that I have completed the book I can argue more fairly about why I take issue with the previous assertion. For good or ill, presidents reflect and embody the country. Presidents are the mosts visible symbol of our nation (the flag notwithstanding) and many have dramatically affected the country's trajectory, and hence, the trajectory of its people. For good or ill. Many will argue, and have argued, that FDR stands as one of the greatest presidents, and I can't challenge that assertion because the effect he had on the nation was truly great, and on balance, he moved the scale a little in the direction of making us more tolerant while at the same time creating structures that ultimately make us more dependent.
I did get a heads up on another "dual" biography on Eleanor and Franklin from this book, and I will be taking the time in the near-future to read it. So I thank Mr. Jenkins for that. And in case I failed to mention, he writes really well and I found myself imagining that I was sitting in a lecture hall while he was teaching me.
On balance, this was just an average offering in TAP series. At first I was a lttle put off, thinking the author TOO in live with his subject (I get that the authors of the books are chosen to write or ask to write about a president of their choice, so it follows that the author would treat the subject a little kinder). His kid-glove handling of his dalliances with Lucy Mercer and the slap-dash drive-by mention Jenkins does of the shame of Japanese internment are in my view unforgivable, however. Presidents are human, and we need to see them, warts and all, because they are US.
But Jenkins does a really good job of making the demi-god that FDR has become more human and humane while at the same time giving us glimpses behind the curtain protecting Roosevelt's exceptionally shrewd political personality.
I took away a full star from my review because the Japanese internment issue gets a few sentences on ONE page. And it isnt't like it was explained or justified or even put into deep context. It was just mentioned. One of the most, if not THE most, profound and historically significant events in any presidency and it is barely even mentioned. As I mentioned above, treating the subject a little kinder is expected but this complete glossing over of that event in FDR's presidency is exceedingly irresponsible and intellectually dishonest.
I took away another star because the end was rather abrupt (yeah, FDR dies suddenly from a brain hemorrhage so I get that THAT ending would be abrupt); it seemed as though he realized his assignment could only be 170 pages and he had to wrap it up in the next five paragraphs. That is what I mean when I say abrupt. Rushed; hurried.
Also, I understand that this entire series is a survey of presidencies (as I have read at least half of them), but FDR stands alone as a president who was elected once and then re-elected three times. He served 12 years in the office during some of the most volatile (socially, ecnomically, and politically) times in American History. I think readers would have fogiven, and allowed, and maybe if asked insisted upon, another 20 pages or so to cover these issues more deeply and with richer context.
Page one: "In any rating of presidents there can be no more than three of his predecessors who could be placed in contention with him, and of his successors there are so far none...."
Who IS this guy? Oh, he's a British Labour Party politician. Noted.
Now that I have completed the book I can argue more fairly about why I take issue with the previous assertion. For good or ill, presidents reflect and embody the country. Presidents are the mosts visible symbol of our nation (the flag notwithstanding) and many have dramatically affected the country's trajectory, and hence, the trajectory of its people. For good or ill. Many will argue, and have argued, that FDR stands as one of the greatest presidents, and I can't challenge that assertion because the effect he had on the nation was truly great, and on balance, he moved the scale a little in the direction of making us more tolerant while at the same time creating structures that ultimately make us more dependent.
I did get a heads up on another "dual" biography on Eleanor and Franklin from this book, and I will be taking the time in the near-future to read it. So I thank Mr. Jenkins for that. And in case I failed to mention, he writes really well and I found myself imagining that I was sitting in a lecture hall while he was teaching me.
On balance, this was just an average offering in TAP series. At first I was a lttle put off, thinking the author TOO in live with his subject (I get that the authors of the books are chosen to write or ask to write about a president of their choice, so it follows that the author would treat the subject a little kinder). His kid-glove handling of his dalliances with Lucy Mercer and the slap-dash drive-by mention Jenkins does of the shame of Japanese internment are in my view unforgivable, however. Presidents are human, and we need to see them, warts and all, because they are US.
But Jenkins does a really good job of making the demi-god that FDR has become more human and humane while at the same time giving us glimpses behind the curtain protecting Roosevelt's exceptionally shrewd political personality.
I took away a full star from my review because the Japanese internment issue gets a few sentences on ONE page. And it isnt't like it was explained or justified or even put into deep context. It was just mentioned. One of the most, if not THE most, profound and historically significant events in any presidency and it is barely even mentioned. As I mentioned above, treating the subject a little kinder is expected but this complete glossing over of that event in FDR's presidency is exceedingly irresponsible and intellectually dishonest.
I took away another star because the end was rather abrupt (yeah, FDR dies suddenly from a brain hemorrhage so I get that THAT ending would be abrupt); it seemed as though he realized his assignment could only be 170 pages and he had to wrap it up in the next five paragraphs. That is what I mean when I say abrupt. Rushed; hurried.
Also, I understand that this entire series is a survey of presidencies (as I have read at least half of them), but FDR stands alone as a president who was elected once and then re-elected three times. He served 12 years in the office during some of the most volatile (socially, ecnomically, and politically) times in American History. I think readers would have fogiven, and allowed, and maybe if asked insisted upon, another 20 pages or so to cover these issues more deeply and with richer context.
September 3, 2022
If you're going through the American Presidents series and want to be able to digest and remember a fair decent amount of facts about each President, or you're simply wanting to fill a knowledge gap on FDR, then this is a very good book at giving you the 'cliff notes' of the man.
If you're looking for a comprehensive description of his life, his ascendancy, his politics and his legacy. Then this is not that book. The pace and chapters are concise, they're snappy, they come, they say what happened and they go. There's not too much to mull over and think about it. Could this be a bad thing? Maybe. But I think it's just simply not what the book, or the series it is a part of, is meant to be. Know what level of description you want about Roosevelt before reading this, it will be exactly what you want, or leave you very wanting.
Jenkins also approaches from a very Anglocentric view. It doesn't detract, but it does leave a few paragraphs of rare analysis where a non-Brit might wonder why Churchill or British politics enters the discussion as much as they do.
4/5
If you're looking for a comprehensive description of his life, his ascendancy, his politics and his legacy. Then this is not that book. The pace and chapters are concise, they're snappy, they come, they say what happened and they go. There's not too much to mull over and think about it. Could this be a bad thing? Maybe. But I think it's just simply not what the book, or the series it is a part of, is meant to be. Know what level of description you want about Roosevelt before reading this, it will be exactly what you want, or leave you very wanting.
Jenkins also approaches from a very Anglocentric view. It doesn't detract, but it does leave a few paragraphs of rare analysis where a non-Brit might wonder why Churchill or British politics enters the discussion as much as they do.
4/5
August 25, 2025
I must admit, I was a little disappointed with this book. The author, Roy Jenkins, is from England. And it shows. There are numerous mentions of and comparisons to Winston Churchill. This might not be a problem when discussing WWII when the two leaders worked and communicated together constantly. But in my opinion, totally unwarranted during the depression.
I had no problems with comparisons to President Theodore Roosevelt. They were related, fifth cousins once removed, and their lives followed similar paths. But FDR’s life took a tragic turn in 1921 with his contraction of polio which was covered in one paragraph. As was his death in 1945.
But otherwise I felt this was a very readable effort. I had no trouble keeping my interest in this book. I did find it a little sad and disconcerting knowing the author had died while writing this book. It was definitely a strange feeling. And getting to the last words he wrote was even more so.
I had no problems with comparisons to President Theodore Roosevelt. They were related, fifth cousins once removed, and their lives followed similar paths. But FDR’s life took a tragic turn in 1921 with his contraction of polio which was covered in one paragraph. As was his death in 1945.
But otherwise I felt this was a very readable effort. I had no trouble keeping my interest in this book. I did find it a little sad and disconcerting knowing the author had died while writing this book. It was definitely a strange feeling. And getting to the last words he wrote was even more so.
September 3, 2017
I have previously read Jeff Coker's biography of FDR, but was attracted to this book when I noticed the author was Roy Jenkins, a former British Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister.
Unfortunately Jenkins passed away just prior to the completion of his biography on Roosevelt, but I do not think that this edition of 'The American Presidents' suffers a great deal from that fact.
Apart from his political standing, Jenkins was a historian and this book displays a broad understanding of 20th century issues that contributes to his brief but vivid portrait of #32.
An ideal introductory level study of the main points of FDR's four terms in office.
Unfortunately Jenkins passed away just prior to the completion of his biography on Roosevelt, but I do not think that this edition of 'The American Presidents' suffers a great deal from that fact.
Apart from his political standing, Jenkins was a historian and this book displays a broad understanding of 20th century issues that contributes to his brief but vivid portrait of #32.
An ideal introductory level study of the main points of FDR's four terms in office.
June 24, 2017
A solid but not exceptionally wonderful entry in this series. Perhaps 3.5 stars. I will say that this read more like a story of the man's life than is typical for a history book, which I enjoyed. However, this was partly due to comparisons to other historical or even literary figures which is great if you recognize the reference but distracting if you don't. This is one of the few books in this series that I would consider rereading.
November 21, 2025
Rating: 3.5 stars
Overall a good biography. But the writing style didn’t really work for me.
Two salient omissions:
1) No mention of FDR’s lack of support for anti lynching legislation.
2) not discussing Japanese internment camps (other than a token one liner).
While the writing and insights about interactions between UK ministers and US cabinet during WWII was interesting, I would have liked to see more detail about the above two points.
Overall a good biography. But the writing style didn’t really work for me.
Two salient omissions:
1) No mention of FDR’s lack of support for anti lynching legislation.
2) not discussing Japanese internment camps (other than a token one liner).
While the writing and insights about interactions between UK ministers and US cabinet during WWII was interesting, I would have liked to see more detail about the above two points.
July 12, 2021
This is probably the first of The American Presidents series that I think needed to be longer. Given the amount of historical activity and the length of FDRs presidency I felt like I didn't get enough detail. I still enjoyed the book overall and I think was a reasonable introduction to FDR, I definitely want to read a more in depth biography.
April 22, 2019
Short biog of one of my favourite presidents- unfortunately it’s briefness meant that it didn’t really have the chance to go into detail about the aspects of his presidency I was most interested. I learnt more from the Ken Burns documentary (which is amazing).
May 18, 2024
Boring. This is not a biography. It is a play-by-play description of every major political action, positive or negative, that faced FDR. All kinds of names and dates, with brief descriptions of the legislation and its impact on the USA and the world. Disappointing to me.
May 9, 2017
This was poorly written in many spots and wandering. Might be due to the author's passing while writing the book, it certainly seems to lack later rounds of edits.
June 1, 2018
Listened to the audio book version. Good listen to past the time.
August 20, 2019
One of the best, most clear set of reasons and reflections I’ve ever read. Everything he writes is brilliant.
Want to read
June 23, 2020'About a World Leader'
October 31, 2020
Eminent British politician and historian Roy Jenkins, author of a fine biography of Churchill, delivers a concise biography of FDR, an effective summary for the British reader
June 3, 2021
A decent read, but a little short on substance and a little heavy on verbose language.
January 6, 2022
Good solid book
March 3, 2017
For the most part, the hallmark of this "American Presidents" series is its ability to balance material about the personal lives of each U.S. President with the events of the times they lived in. Every once in awhile, though, there comes along a book/author that goes a bit too deep into the political machinations for the casual reader. Unfortunately, this is one of those entries.
I really enjoyed the last 30 pages or so of the book (when it steps back to take a much broader view of Roosevelt)...but that was about it. For the most part, I grew weary of all the talk of political appointments and posturing. In this series, I have always really enjoyed the personality profiles, election coverage, and information about the landmarks of each administration. Jenkins, however, very much glosses over the "big stuff" in order to focus on the nitty-gritty. Some readers will probably like this approach, but I found it a bit tedious for how I feel a book in this series should be constructed.
Thus, while not outright terrible (2.5 stars would be a more precise ranking), I would steer generalist President-followers away from this installment due to its micro rather than macro-focus.
I really enjoyed the last 30 pages or so of the book (when it steps back to take a much broader view of Roosevelt)...but that was about it. For the most part, I grew weary of all the talk of political appointments and posturing. In this series, I have always really enjoyed the personality profiles, election coverage, and information about the landmarks of each administration. Jenkins, however, very much glosses over the "big stuff" in order to focus on the nitty-gritty. Some readers will probably like this approach, but I found it a bit tedious for how I feel a book in this series should be constructed.
Thus, while not outright terrible (2.5 stars would be a more precise ranking), I would steer generalist President-followers away from this installment due to its micro rather than macro-focus.
July 6, 2012
At first glance, it's an interesting choice to choose a British historian to write about Franklin Roosevelt, although in some subsequent research (does it really count as research if you read someone's Wikipedia?) proves that Roy Jenkins, if anything is an accomplished historian who wrote at least one book about an American politician (Harry Truman). He does write knowledgeably and accurately about the overall American political system and the political system of FDR's time. Kudos to Roy Jenkins; I'm going to take a look at some of his other books. My only quibble - he wrote a book about Gladstone, and another about Churchill - and each of them make multiple appearances in this short book, and not necessarily short appearances either. It's such a short book too. Churchill at least was a contemporary of FDR and a partner in WWII, so that makes a bit more sense. But Gladstone? Did FDR and Gladstone really have all that in common? Or was Mr. Jenkin's just plugging his other books? We'll never know - he died before even finishing this book, and the last few pages were finished by someone else.
Unlike some of the reviews I read on Goodreads, I pretty much liked Mr. Jenkins's writing style and how he approached the book (Gladstone excepted). FDR's sticky relationship with Eleanor was described in meaty detail; his relationship with fellow pols like Al Smith, his strange relationship with that b**** of a mother (although Truman's mother in law in the grand high b**** of presidential relatives).
He convincingly makes the argument that the 20th century is the century of FDR, and every political event afterwards hinges somewhat on those twelve years. The long shadow of FDR may finally be fading a bit, but what Jenkins's writes is still mostly true: "The world we now live in is not Churchill's, with its vanished British Empire, and not Stalin's, with his Soviet Union but a memory, his tyranny fully exposed and Communist parties dethroned save in Cuba or immensely reshaped as in China. The world we live in is still Franklin Roosevelt's world, more fragmented yet with population doubled, weapons and communications revolutionized, danger in new ways, but essentially recognizable. For good or ill, the United States is at its center, as it came to be in his time, and the presidency is at the center of its government, a position he restored and fostered. His story and he remain vital to the darkened future."
Unlike some of the reviews I read on Goodreads, I pretty much liked Mr. Jenkins's writing style and how he approached the book (Gladstone excepted). FDR's sticky relationship with Eleanor was described in meaty detail; his relationship with fellow pols like Al Smith, his strange relationship with that b**** of a mother (although Truman's mother in law in the grand high b**** of presidential relatives).
He convincingly makes the argument that the 20th century is the century of FDR, and every political event afterwards hinges somewhat on those twelve years. The long shadow of FDR may finally be fading a bit, but what Jenkins's writes is still mostly true: "The world we now live in is not Churchill's, with its vanished British Empire, and not Stalin's, with his Soviet Union but a memory, his tyranny fully exposed and Communist parties dethroned save in Cuba or immensely reshaped as in China. The world we live in is still Franklin Roosevelt's world, more fragmented yet with population doubled, weapons and communications revolutionized, danger in new ways, but essentially recognizable. For good or ill, the United States is at its center, as it came to be in his time, and the presidency is at the center of its government, a position he restored and fostered. His story and he remain vital to the darkened future."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews