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Title: Nothing to Fear
Subtitle: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America
Author: Adam Cohen
Narrator: Norman Dietz
Format: Unabridged
Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
Language: English
Release date: 01-29-09
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 93 votes
Genres: History, 20th Century
Publisher's Summary:
When FDR took his oath of office in March 1933, more than 10,000 banks had gone under following the Crash of 1929, a quarter of American workers were unemployed, and riots were breaking out at garbage dumps as people fought over scraps of food. Before the 100 days, the federal government was limited in scope and ambition; by the end, it had assumed an active responsibility for the welfare of all of its citizens.
Adam Cohen provides an illuminating group portrait of the five members of FDR's inner circle who, more than any others, drove this unprecedented transformation. These five men and women frequently pushed FDR to embrace more radical programs than he would have otherwise. FDR came to the White House with few firm commitments about how to resolve this national crisis - as a politician he was more pragmatic than ideological and, perhaps surprising given his New Deal legacy, a fiscal conservative by nature. Instead, he relied heavily on his advisers and preferred when they had conflicting views so that he could choose the best option among them. For this reason, he kept in close confidence both Frances Perkins - a feminist before her time and the strongest advocate for social welfare programs - and Lewis Douglas, an entrenched budget cutter who frequently clashed with the other members of FDR's progressive inner circle.
Rather than commit to a single solution or ideology, FDR favored a policy of "bold, persistent experimentation". As a result, he presided over the most feverish period of government activity in American history, one that gave birth to modern America.The political fault lines of this era - welfare, government regulation, agriculture policy - remain with us today.
Editorial Reviews:
The dramatic first 100 days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency are the subject of Nothing to Fear, named for the oft-quoted line in FDR's inaugural speech: "The only thing we have to fear is...fear itself." Audiobook performer Norman Dietz brings a gritty realism to his narration as he describes this time of crisis and massive upheaval for the United States, detailing the multiple reforms FDR ushered in to bring relief to a nation devastated by the Depression. This audiobook also provides an in-depth portrait of FDR's inner circle of five advisers, who played a pivotal role in the groundbreaking policies he introduced to establish the modern welfare state. Packed with historical detail, Nothing to Fear captures one of the most important transitions in American political history.
Critic Reviews:
"A crucial human story which goes beyond that found in most FDR biographies." (Library Journal)
"An elucidating, pertinent and timely work on the makings of government." (Kirkus)
