Robert Dallek is the author of Camelot’s Court, An Unfinished Life, and Nixon and Kissinger, among other books. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, and Vanity Fair. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Society of American Historians, for which he served as president in 2004–2005. He lives in Washington, D.C.
"Assuredly the best single-volume Roosevelt biography."
—Eric Rauchway, Times Literary Supplement
“Meticulously researched and authoritative. . . . Adequate
single-volume biographies about FDR abound. But none are as
heroically objective and wide-angled as this fine Dallek effort. .
. . By tapping into the vast correspondence between Churchill and
Roosevelt, Dallek discerns a more strained relationship between the
leaders than presupposed. . . . Luckily for us, Roosevelt is with
us again in Dallek’s outstanding cradle-to-grave study. When it
comes to choosing the two indispensable presidents in U.S. history,
Dallek places Roosevelt alongside Abraham Lincoln, the other great
improviser with Providence on his side.”
—Douglas Brinkley, The Washington Post
“Dallek fully incorporates into his narrative Roosevelt’s
complicated, conflicted relationship with the several women in his
life and is especially good on the role Eleanor played, as goad and
political advisor. He also makes it clear, in a way other
biographers do not, that almost from the moment he entered office,
Roosevelt set out to educate the nation to the fact that the United
States was threatened not only by economic depression at home, but
also by fascist aggressions abroad. . . . Dallek’s is a workmanlike
addition to the literature on Roosevelt.”
—David Nasaw, The New York Times
“Dallek constantly seeks to find an answer to FDR’s political
trajectory: What fueled his ambition to serve in the political
arena and with what political aims? Also the extent to which it was
FDR’s experiences—abroad as a child, then at school, at Harvard, in
the New York legislature—that determined his later progress in the
real world. Undergirding all of these, Dallek sees Roosevelt’s
moral war on deceit and corruption. In an era in which moral,
linguistic, and financial corruption hold sway, this story could
not be more timely. . . . From beginning to end Dallek has
earnestly followed his own curiosity as a citizen and as a teacher,
so that at last we come to see in FDR the magisterial, central
figure in the greatest and richest political tapestry of our
nation’s entire history.”
—Nigel Hamilton, Boston Globe
“[Dallek] believes that FDR was a born politician of ferocious and
very nearly infallible instincts, and through a combination of
extensive research and first-rate storyteller’s gifts, he makes the
reader believe it, too. His Roosevelt is a man of great but always
complicated drives, a worrier and second-guesser who nonetheless
often believed the intensely stirring things he so often said and
wrote. . . . Dallek relates in fine and compelling detail all the
thorniest scandals of the FDR years. . . . But far more prominent
than scandal in these pages—and far more welcome—are Dallek’s
frequent examinations of the now-forgotten political opposition FDR
faced at every stage of his long tenure as president. . . . We see
FDR afresh, which is an amazing feat in its own right.”
—Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor
“An insightful, incisive and intelligent one-volume work of
biography and history—and a pointed primer on how things in
Washington get done. In a period defined by division, gridlock and
tweet storms, Dallek crafts a pointillist portrait of the four-term
president, who knew almost intuitively how to use the power of his
office and how to reach consensus.”
—Peter M. Gianotti, Newsday
“Few scholars have the qualifications of Robert Dallek to tell this
story. . . . Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life covers much
more than the momentous challenges faced by FDR as president. It
gives an honest outline of his life including his attitudes as a
privileged ‘undemocratic snob’ who used ‘the influence of men he
considered unworthy of public influence.’ . . . Despite the book’s
size, the complexity of its subject, and the narrative’s variance
with common public memory, it is a fast engaging read that
corrects, even scatters, misconceptions. The author provides an
entertaining narrative in a style not unlike that of FDR.”
—Robert S. Davis, New York Journal of Books
“A characteristically adroit work that is balanced in coverage and
prudent in assessment. . . . [Dallek’s] emphasis falls on the two
great crises of FDR’s presidency—the Depression and WWII—and
highlights FDR’s emergence as a skillful politician. . . . All will
benefit from Dallek’s principal addition to earlier works on FDR:
the convincing argument that as early as May 1943 FDR was showing
signs of the illness that would kill him. The result is a
comprehensive retelling of a major American life that will rank
among the standard biographies of its subject.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This focused study of the four term-winning president emphasizes
his instinctive feel for the public mood. . . . Dallek is a
seasoned presidential historian and biographer. Here, he writes
with authority about Franklin Roosevelt’s political life and
mission to create a ‘new social order’ during a time of ‘enduring
national transformation.’ . . . Dallek examines several
formative factors that contributed greatly to Roosevelt's ability
to successfully tap the public sentiment and address significant
issues. . . . The author also effectively shows how Roosevelt was
an astute political animal who sometimes made questionable
decisions for political expedience. . . . A lively one-volume
treatment well-suited to libraries and schools.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“[Dallek] takes on the daunting task of providing a comprehensive
one-volume biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He succeeds in
presenting the abundance of information in a flowing and highly
readable narrative, and he supports FDR’s story with memorable
sketches of the president’s many associates . . . his varied
opponents, the foreign leaders who served opposite him (Dallek is
particularly good on Churchill), and many others. Eleanor, too, is
portrayed in full, complete with a notably honest account of her
marriage to Franklin. . . . A first-rate biography and a must-buy
for most public-library history collections.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Recounts the politician’s greatest challenges, including trying
presidential elections and the years leading up to and during World
War II. Dallek’s familiarity with his subject and deep
understanding of American history and context shines in his clear
and engaging prose. . . . readers will gain a solid sense of
Roosevelt’s political mind and an inspiring appreciation of his
mighty character. . . . This highly recommended, expertly
crafted book will please a variety of readers, especially those
interested in biographies as well as presidential, military, and
American history.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Robert Dallek has brought a lifetime’s immersion in the American
presidency to produce what will almost certainly be seen as the
most authoritative single-volume biography of our most important
20th Century president. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life is
a landmark work that deserves to be placed on the same shelf as
those of Arthur Schlesinger Jr., James MacGregor Burns, and William
E. Leuchtenburg.”
—Richard Moe, author of Roosevelt’s Second Act: The Election of
1940 and the Politics of War
“A great liberal historian has written the best one-volume
biography about our greatest liberal president. Sparing
neither criticism nor admiration, Robert Dallek offers an FDR
relevant to our sharply divided nation: a master politician who
gained the trust of most of his fellow Americans by empathizing
eloquently with their problems and working himself to death to
solve them.”
—Michael Kazin, author of War Against War: The American Fight
for Peace, 1914-1918
“Robert Dallek is a leading authority on the presidency and his
book on Roosevelt is a masterful and complex portrayal of one of
America’s greatest presidents, a leader who had the vision and
character to reveal to the country its potential as a great
nation.”
—Howard Dean, former DNC chairman and six-term governor of
Vermont
“Robert Dallek’s brilliant portrayal of Franklin D. Roosevelt is an
inspiring read, a timely reminder that political leadership
involves judgment and intelligence. Battling the Great Depression
and a global war, the 32nd president harnessed wisdom to decision
making, and political acumen to governance. No historian
understands FDR better than Dallek, who has captured in this single
page-turning volume how America was really ‘made great again.’”
—Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American
Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
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