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 Portrait of a couple, and of a nation July 29, 2010
Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States)
For those who say a man must be a good father and husband in order to be a good leader, I recommend this book to you. Authored by one of America's most famous female historians, this book follows the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt thru their 2nd, 3rd and 4th terms in the White House. The book looks at their personal and public lives, and how they influenced each other, and the history of the world. Written in chronological order, the book covers war planning, domestic politics, the race issue, labor relations, the public growth of Eleanor Roosevelt, along with the lives of numerous residents and visitors to the White House such as Winston Churchill, the Roosevelt children and friends, and the many attractive women who intrigued FDR, some of whom were possible mistresses. What comes across is their respective abilities with people. There is Franklin's ability to communicate with people in person or en masse, and to steer them towards a common goal, which is the essence of leadership. Then there is Eleanor's ability to empathize with people, to understand their wants and needs and to work to help them. What also comes across is the story of Washington's first true power couple, both of whom are so occupied with longer horizons that neither can make the concessions needed to create a happy family. It is clear that FDR cheated on his wife, with multiple women most likely. And the book suggests that Eleanor in turn cheated on FDR, though of a less sexual nature. This failure in marital relations was passed onto their children. The 4 sons went thru 18 marriages between them, and their one daughter also went thru a divorce. The book clearly illustrates how sacrifices for public service often include a ruined family life. So overall, a very insightful and important book about American history, and how history is made by people making decisions on a daily basis often under less than perfect circumstances.
Good Stuff - You'll learn something July 21, 2010
S. A. Dorezas
Doris Kearns Goodwin hit it out of the park with this one. (Please excuse the obvious baseball metaphor.) The book is a biographical study of Franklin & Eleanor during the FDR years in the White House. The subject itself has all the potential of being a very factual yet boring Sleeper. However, with the author's skill, it turns out to be a biographical Page-Turner. So often books about the FDR administration tend to be either printed tributes to the Roosevelts OR simply a negative display of the author's political differences with the FDR legacy. The book "No Ordinary Time" shows a more humanistic view of two people that left very large foot prints as they went through life. Coincidently, they happened to be in the center of the world's stage at the time. The reader is left to interpret the consequences of those foot prints.
 A Very Human Biography July 17, 2010
Thomas J. Kapostasy (Carmel, IN United States)
The author took a big risk in focusing on the personal side of these two biography titans within the context of their experience during WWII. She succeeds in using the familiar story of WWII and the depression era to set the context for the development of FDR and Eleanor's character and achievements. These are two larger than life individuals, driven by their experiences to face great trials and shape the modern American future. As in reading a Lincoln biography, I marvel at the depth and breadth of issues faced in their public lives. Politics and content. Strategy and tactics. Vision and leadership. The personal side is less heroic and more tragic. Both Eleanor and FDR were mere humans, driven by experience, pursuing mixed ends, winning and losing, embracing temptation and acting selfishly. This is excellent biography, providing true insight into character. The book is a bit long and sometimes the stories are longwinded. The CD is a good drive-time companion.
No Ordinary Narrative July 9, 2010
Wilhelmina
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Throughout the book, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The American Home front during World War II, the Pulitzer prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin strives to depict Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt not just as political powerhouses of the mid twentieth century, but as actual human beings with genuine emotions. Goodwin attempts to bridge the gap between the personal happenings of the Roosevelt family and the historical events of the Second World War.
Through working for Lyndon B Johnson and teaching a course at Harvard University titled, "The American Presidency," Goodwin has acquired a vast experience with understanding and interpreting the actions of Presidents. While working under Lyndon B Johnson as a White House Fellow and an assistant, Goodwin acquired a new found interest in the diverse personalities surrounding the president; this experience played a huge part in her interpretation of FDR's personal assistant Missy Lehand. Although many biographers overlook the influence of personal assistants, Goodwin consistently emphasizes the importance of Missy on the daily life of President Roosevelt.
As the book opens at the beginning of FDR's third term, the reader is presented with a truly bizarre menagerie that is known as the Roosevelt White House. Franklin and Eleanor have separate bedrooms, Lorena Hickcock, Eleanor's "special friend" lives in the bedroom across the hall from the first lady. Sara Roosevelt, Franklin's mother, is frequently on hand, as are Harry Hopkins, Franklin's advisor, Princess Martha of Norway, whom FDR shares a very intimate relationship with, and the list of colorful characters goes on. Yet, Goodwin assures us that all of these relationships are perfectly straightforward and innocent. The book is essentially told through the perspective of those surrounding Franklin and Eleanor; thus giving the reader the feeling that they are also a part of the hustle and bustle of the White house. Due to the large amount of secondary characters, Goodwin fails to give certain personalities justice in their descriptions; therefore it is often difficult to keep each person straight. Lucky for Goodwin, the diaries and letters of the hundreds of Roosevelt's companions provide a strong basis for writing a book about the president. The book is made up of personal accounts of what living in the White House was like. Goodwin does a beautiful job tying these accounts together and her use of primary sources really enhances the book. Although Goodwin does not recreate hypothetical discussions; the usage of diary entries really makes the stories come to life. Through reading, it becomes obvious that Roosevelt needed to have people surrounding him at all times. Without the assurance and advice of his closest companions Roosevelt could not have functioned, never mind governed the largest political power of the time. Goodwin attributes Roosevelt's need to be in the company of a variety of people with his overbearing mother and her influence on his childhood.
The Narrative switches off between the comings and goings in the Roosevelt White house and the major events shaping World War Two. Goodwin eloquently synthesizes the two making it easy to see a direct correlation between FDR's decisions and the many outcomes of the war. Due to the fact that Goodwin only briefly describes Franklin and Eleanor's childhood, there are many dots left unconnected. It would be easier to understand Franklin's many idiosyncrasies if the reader had a background on his early life. Instead Goodwin decides to start the book at the pinnacle of FDR's political career, consequently robbing the reader of an in depth understanding of how Franklin Roosevelt became the President. Goodwin shies away from the controversies surrounding Eleanor's sexual preferences, and the names Lillian Faderman and Blanche Wieson Cook are never brought up (CANON). It seems that the author takes great pride in exposing Franklin Roosevelt for the ladies man that he truly was but only addresses certain aspects of Eleanor's life.
Furthermore, Goodwin chooses to place emphasis on the luxurious lives of the Roosevelt's, rather than the disenfranchised American common man. It becomes easy to forget the unstable state that the American people were faced with at the time; one has to remember while reading that not every family has an estate in Hyde Park or copious amounts of virtually everything. One needs to keep in mind that, eight years of the New Deal has still left the country with a seventeen percent unemployment rate. However, Goodwin assures the reader that the New Deal has been a resounding victory. Now, a second crisis approaches, World War Two, which is even more fearful than the Depression. Yet, Goodwin describes the situation as if there was no chance of the Nazis winning and holding power over the World. Little is said about the personal sacrifices individual American's were making every day on the home front. Instead Goodwin focuses on the battles happening overseas and the president's reactions to pivotal events. The average American people of the time are viewed merely as helpless beings in need of rescuing by Franklin's policies and Eleanor's social endeavors.
When FDR faced a decision that fairly few Presidents' have ever contemplated, the question, "Should I run for a third term?" George Washington was one of the few, who could have actually won a third term, but he considered it more important that the Nation be governed by laws and not men, therefore he stepped down from the presidency. Following his example, no other President, with the exception for Theodore Roosevelt, had made the decision to run for a third term. Nevertheless Goodwin barely acknowledges the fact that FDR's decision to run was a significant step on the way to the Imperial Presidency. Later, when FDR actually runs and wins a fourth term in office, Goodwin, not only ignores this subject but she continues to overlook the fact that Roosevelt was a dying man, with a very slight chance of finishing his term. In Roosevelt's eyes it was an, "act of extraordinary irresponsibility to put the country in a position where it would be governed by a virtual unknown in time of war." But by this time, as one observer remarked "[...] he had ceased to be a person; he was simply the president. If something was good for him, it was good; if it had no function for him as president, it didn't exist." This mindset was exactly what George Washington did not want in the President of the United States to have. Yet, Goodwin neglects this "minor" indiscretion and plays off FDR's power hungry need to be in control as merely a trait that made him a great leader.
Personally I enjoyed reading, No Ordinary Time; I now have a newfound fascination with the relationships between first ladies and the presidents. I think that Goodwin did a wonderful job in depicting the Presidents personality and his unique way of going about things. The author's use of primary sources, especially the letters between Eleanor and her daughter Anna really helped me look at the Roosevelt family in a new light. Although at some points Goodwin left me wanting to know more about certain topics like internment camps, I got the feeling that Goodwin purposely omitted certain facts because of her own personal adoration for FDR. In addition I wish that the author would have discussed Franklin's childhood and early political career, more in depth. I really liked how Goodwin described what was going on in the White house and then immediately jumped to the daunting situation overseas. The organization style is what makes this book so profound; it is obvious that Doris Kearns Goodwin put a lot of thought into the order of each paragraph. Furthermore, through reading this book it becomes obvious that the modern day presidency would not exist without the influence of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR essentially revolutionized the office of the presidency and provided a transition between the early twentieth century presidents and what we see the executive office as today. I would recommend this book to anyone who claims that FDR is the worst president of all time, because this book really shines a positive light on FDR's third and fourth term on president and it provides a deep look into the emotions of the thirty second president of the United States.
All in all the Book, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War Two, provides the reader with deep insight into the inner workings of the White house at one of the most pivotal times in History. Goodwin really serves her purpose of both bridging the gap between the White house and World War Two, and providing insight into the human inside one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century.
 Lots of Facts but not an Enjoyable Read May 28, 2010
Bryan (Beijing, China)
I really wanted to like this book and had looked forward to reading it for a long time. However, the writing style compared to other historical novels that I do like was very dry. I didn't get any sense of empathy for either FDR or Eleanor. On the other hand, characters such as Churchill came across much more vividly and likeable. I don't know if this is a reflection of the differences in the peoples' personalities or simply the fact that the author chooses to include every single detail of the daily lives of the couple without ever really let the reader get to know them. For me it has been a book that I'm only able to get through about 10 pages at a time before I get bored. For reference, the last three books I've read, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed were, the Nine by Toobin, The River of Doubt by Millard and Peter the Great by Massie.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 158
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