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Nothing To Fear: FDR's Inner Circle And The Hundred Days That Created ModernAmerica (2009)

by Adam Cohen(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

159420196X (ISBN13: 9781594201967)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Penguin Press

review 1: I assume that Cohen wrote this book as an attempted kick in the shorts for Obama, after winning in 2008, and that Cohen has progressive tendencies. He seems to be blind the reality of contemporary politics, as the discourse is heading AWAY from the new deal, these policies have been in constant attack with a full on assault since Reagan, with NO effective push from the progressive end. Cohen talks as if new deal policies still rule the framing of discussion, when, in actuality, it’s the neoliberalistic point of view that directs ALL national political discourse. As an example of how far the discussion has shifted, Obama is to the right of Richard Nixon on most issues. Cohen lives in a dream world.Overall the book was pretty good, I learned quite a bit about the peop... morele of the new deal, and the new deal itself. Worker’s rights have indeed been improved in great amount, thanks to the New Deal; the floor for the poor is much higher. But I cannot get over the summation of the book in its final lines:“..the idea that the government would protect the country from dishonest stock offerings, unsafe food and drugs, and failed banks, had ceased to be controversial, no serious presidential candidate would again run again on Hoover’s platform of rugged individualism and laissez faire economics. At the most basic level the debate has ended… the New Dealers… built something that had become an essential part of America”WTF is Adam Cohen talking about. Reagan and the Bush’s, even Clinton (to a lesser extent) ran on that platform, and won way too broadly. These ideas are FAR from cemented in our political realm, despite the fact that most of our population agrees with these principles.
review 2: The year is 1933 and the country is in ruins. The new president elect Franklin Roosevelt has been challenged with the task of rebuilding the economy . The banks have failed and the farms are broke. He has 100 days to put the New Deal into place and start the recovery process. IF he fails, so does the country.People who are interested in history would be interested in this book. The book could also interest people who are avid FDR fans and those who are interested how modern America was created.The book was a decent read but it was very dry. It had many interesting facts about FDR and his cabinet members. I found myself struggling to get through the book despite loving history and FDR. The book mostly talks about the people around FDR not FDR himself. less

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