Description
Book SynopsisA powerful new work of history that brings President Roosevelt, his allies, and his adversaries to life as he fought to transform America from an isolationist bystander into the world’s first superpower.
“In today’s troubled times, with authoritarianism escalating at home and abroad, Sparrow’s book reads like an all-hands-on-deck wakeup call. Highly recommended!”—Douglas BrinkleyFranklin Roosevelt awoke at 2:50 a.m. on September 1, 1939 to the news that Germany had invaded Poland, signaling the start of World War II. The president had warned for years that Hitler’s fascist regime posed an existential threat to democracy, but the American public remained stubbornly isolationist as fascist sympathizing groups, egged on by right wing media stars promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, plotted to overthrow the president.
The situation was dire, and Roosevelt quickly found himself facing an unexpected adversary: