No other figure in American history has been subjected to such intense yet incomplete scrutiny as Franklin Delano Roosevelt; certainly none of the Founding Fathers, not even Abraham Lincoln. The closest anyone has come to an all-encompassing complete portrait was Kenneth S. Davis, who won prizes 50 years go for his five-volume biography that covered FDRâ??s life only up until 1943.
Having spent some time wandering the dark and twisting corridors of the mythic Roosevelt in search of another story, I can testify how difficult it is to get a clear grasp of this man who was a consummate politician, an episodic sociopath, occasional visionary, compassionate reformer, regular callous manipulator and full-time serial philanderer.
For that reason, the four books before us are worth mentioning because each takes a slice of the FDR myth that provides informative glimpses of this elusive but undeniably monumental figure; two of which are authoritative analyses, the other two tainted by kind of political biases usually confined to cable television. In sum, however, all four are worth a look.
By far the best of the four comes from Joseph Persico, who has written extensively and with insight about both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as with authority about both World Wars. In â??Rooseveltâ??s Centurions,â? he brings focus to how Roosevelt both led and was influenced by such top brass as Army chief Gen. George C. Marshall, Navy commander Adm. Ernest C. King and Gen. Henry H. â??Hapâ? Arnold, who had to create a strategically potent air force out of next to nothing.
Read Full Article »
