This was an excellent book to read during the first weeks of the Obama Presidency. On reading the book, I could tell that Obama was using the same techniques as FDR to manage the banking crisis. Of course, on reading the book, the crisis FDR faced was far more dire than the current one.Overall, the book showed FDR as more human and politically driven than any type of savior. He did things to make himself look good and manipulated the press for his own interest. His burdens were heavier, dealing with those who would ditch democacy and capitalism for socialism and fascism. Our faith in those systems are stronger now. ( )

Illuminating.

Timely.

Eminently readable.

I read it because it's one of the books our new president is reading because, you know, our new president reads.

From the start, I was learning. There were many details of the Depression of which I was unaware. It was troubling how many of them mirrored today's headlines. But do the solutions attempted during the Depression have any applicability to today's circumstances?

Alter makes the argument that the key to the New Deal was the persona of the newly elected president and his willingness to basically just keep throwing darts at the dart board. According to Alter, Roosevelt didn't have so much a vision regarding what to do as a drive to simply do something. The appearance of activity went a long way in creating optimism.

Alter creates a revealing, well-balanced portrait of FDR. While his focus is the first 100 days of FDR's presidency, he provides plenty of lead in and follow up which gives the reader a solid overview of the entire era and a great deal of detail about the defining moment. ( )

Yes, this one one of those books Obama reported reading not long after getting elected: The Defining Moment, Jonathan Alter's account of FDR's first hundred days in office. A fabulous topic, and timely to boot...but though the book provides some welcome perspective on the current economic crisis, it's not a great read.

Alter hails from Newsweek and this tome often feels like a bunch of semi-glib magazine pieces strung together. The endings of chapters are often eye-rollingly awful: "Some new idea of how to respond to the Depression was slouching toward Washington to be born." Way to make FDR sound oddly ominous, Mr. Alter!

When Roosevelt took office, unemployment was at 25%, 2/3 of the banks were closed, and newspapers were openly urging the new president to assume dictatorial powers. He declined, and instead improvised his way out of the crisis. Critics called FDR a man of no fixed principle, but Roosevelt sold himself as a man of great "flexibility," and Alter accepts this term. FDR was, in fact, so elusive a personality that Alter has trouble making him a vivid character. The only fully fleshed person in these pages is Eleanor Roosevelt -- I could easily have read another 100 pages about the First Lady and her friend(/lover?) Lorena Hikock.

This book (published in 2006) was clearly written as a rebuttal to the Republicans who wanted to hand Social Security to the idiots on Wall Street. Alter did not want to see Roosevelt's greatest program destroyed. Amazing to see that the GOP is now claiming that FDR caused the Depression. They would never be able to get away with such nonsense if Americans only read more history.

An important book to read right now. The good years of the 1950s and 60s were built upon the foundation laid by FDR. Few people realize how close America came to complete collapse in 1933, or how crucial FDR's actions were in saving the capitalist system. ( )

The history of the U.S. is at another defining moment, as a new President prepares to take office who has the potential to be as transformative a leader as Lincoln or FDR. That is one reason I'm reading books about both FDR and Lincoln, to see what lessons their experiences provide us in another moment of national crisis.

Alter is a senior editor at Newsweek and analyst for NBC news. He has put together an excellent work here that concentrates on the first 100 days of FDR's presidency. He does cover Roosevelt's life before the inaugaration, briefly, but with an emphasis on traits that helped FDR be probably the only man in the running who could have made things better to any real extent.

Alter emphasizes some of the same things as others, including the effect the polio had in deepening Roosevelt's determination and compassion for others. Some things he talks about are not emphasized much in other bios, such as the attempted assassination in Miami in February 1932. Roosevelt was not injured, but Chicago mayor Anton Cermak was and eventually died of his wounds. At some point Cermak was put into the car next to Roosevelt who held and encouraged him until they reached the hospital. It had a galvanizing effect on public opinion of Roosevelt, who had been seen as rather weak and vacillating prior to this. Nevertheless, it was not an easy campaign and he almost did not get the nomination.

One of the other big surprises is that Roosevelt was at first fairly conventional, determined to cut government spending and raise taxes in order to improve the economy... the things almost everyone in both parties were saying to do. He didn't have strongly held convictions on what to do, and some of the legislation of that first 100 days were cobbled together at the last minute and wererather a hodgepodge of ideas. FDR's genius was in part a willingness to try anything and see what worked and what didn't, a conviction that action of any kind was better than non-action. That, coupled with his genius for communicating, helped people recover their belief that things would get better, which by itself helped make things better.

Alter's book is well-written, and incredibly well-researched. His bibliography is a masterpiece, and includes not only books, but document collections, interviews, and newspapers and magazines. He wrote this book as much as possible from primary materials, and found some resources in archives that haven't previously been used in works on FDR. Excellent and recommended book, with, in my opinion, good lessons for Obama.. ( )

This story of the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his first hundred days in office beginning in March 1933 seems more than appropriate as an historic inauguration occurs in about ten days.

Many pundits have compared Obama to Lincoln, but Alter draws many more parallels to FDR. First of all, he succeeded an unpopular president as the country was on the edge of a serious downturn, which would come to be known as “The Great Depression.” FDR was unlike any previous president in many ways. Some called him a traitor to his class because of all the social programs he started.

Hoover raised taxes and cut spending, which helped propel the nation deeper into the economic morass. FDR brought a message of hope and change to desperately poor and hungry people. He was also the first to address the nation in a casual, conversational manner in his “Fireside Chats” beginning almost immediately after his inauguration. The text of that chat, as well as his first inaugural address, are in appendices. The often quoted line, “the only thing we have nothing to fear, is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance” (339). Considering the fear we have lived under for the last eight years, I can only hope the Obama administration will have the same attitude.

Also like Obama, FDR was “always willing to listen to someone smarter than he was tell him why his ideas were no good” (249). A president that does not hide his opinions and policies decisions will be a breath of fresh air after the smog of Bush 43. FDR also said, “It is common sense to take a method and try it: if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something” (92-93). Refreshing when compared to a president unable to think of any mistakes, and who counts his greatest achievement as a failed attempt to privatize Social Security!

Alter’s style is smooth and eminently readable. His extensive quotes really bring FDR to life. One of my favorites is “Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement” (219).

FDR was the first to travel extensively by plane. Maybe Obama’s Blackberry is a close analogy.

Anyone who thinks the current economic crises is bad, should read this book and get a glimpse of what life was like in the US during the Depression. Today’s crisis doesn’t seem quite so bad, and not quite so hard to fix. Five stars.

--Jim, 1/19/08 ( )

Jonathan Alter, senior editor at Newsweek, and frequent contributor at MSNBC has written an excellent book about the rise and early presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt entitled 'The Defining Moment.' In concise yet articulate chapters Alter paints a compelling portrait of FDR, ther president who took the helm at what was, up until that point, the direst financial and societal crisis the nation had seen perhaps since the Civil War, and certainly in the 20th century.

Now known as 'The Great Depression,' America was plunged into crisis after the great stock crash of 1929. The downward spiral was arguably exacerbated and accelerated by the failed policies of Herbert Hoover. Enter FDR.

Roosevelt had worked his way up to serve as secretary of the Navy in the mid 1920s. At that time Al Smith was the governor of New York. Smith, in some ways, saw FDR as his heir apparent to the governorship in NY. He also felt threatened by him.

Smith had strong ties to the Tammany Hall group that had dominated NY city politics for decades but were suspect and corrupt in the eyes of many not within their circle. As the 1930s began, Alter describes how Roosevelt took on Tammany Hall and even launched an investigation against the NYC mayor, culminating in the mayor resigning under suspicion. This brazen challenging of the regional status quo helped make a name for FDR, and added momentum to his candidacy for president.

As it turned out, FDR ended up battling Smith for the Democratic nomination in 1932. This was an uphill battle, as Smith, while waning in popularity with the electorate, tightly controlled the party leadership that got out the vote and controlled the convention.

In Alter's nuanced portrait we see not only the glad-handing, smiling, congenial FDR who overcame obstacles and his disability. We also see a shrewd political maneuverer who knew how to say what needed to be said to win voter confidence, while also staying several steps ahead of his political adversaries. He showed great skill at gaining political advantage.

Roosevelt faced significant challenges along the way. One of his greatest challenges was his battle with illness. At the age of 39 he developed a mysterious fever while on vacation. He did not seek treatment right away and ended up with a crippling case of polio. As president-elect, he also was the target of a botched assassination attempt.

His handlers and assistants worked vigorously to keep FDR from being portrayed as weak. He was not allowed to be photographed either in a wheelchair or being carried. When he made his way to the rostrum at the convention, he strode up on his son's arm along with a cane.

One of the key turning points in his recuperation was his trips to Warm Springs, Georgia. He found the waters there to be therapeutic and also found renewed confidence through his time there. Alter asserts that FDR's bout with polio also sensitized him to the plight of the disabled and destitute and, in part, influenced some of the sweeping social reforms of the New Deal.

One of the greatest sources of strength for Franklin, though was his wife Eleanor. They had their share of challenges, and according to Alter were on the verge of her considering divorce due to his infidelity. She rallied behind him, though, and was an effective and persuasive campaigner. Alter mentions one story where protesters had gathered outside the White House and Eleanor went out to serve them tea, listen to their concerns and diffuse a potentially ugly situation.

Once in office, FDR initiated the New Deal- which, while unpopular with conservatives to this day, arguably helped get the U.S. economy and workforce back on its feet. It also promoted greater equity in wages and benefits for American workers through programs like the National Recovery Administration and social security.

Roosevelt also became well known for his 'fireside chats,' one of which Alter includes in the appendix. These periodic radio broadcasts were the first time a president had addressed the American people in a conversational style through mass media.

Overall, Alter's book is excellent, readable and very thoughtfully written. There are no new or earth-shattering revelations, but the book offers a thoughtful overview of Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency and the early days of his time in office. While the challenges of each era in history are unique, there are also, arguably, some parallels to the crisis our nation now faces some 75+ years later. Time will tell how well our leaders have learned from the important lessons from this era of history. ( )

I would have given this a better rating but the title was very misleading so I finished the book slightly disappointed. The majority of the book was focused on President Roosevelt's back-story. It focused on his childhood and how it shaped his personality, his rise to political power, etc. His actual Hundred Days is not even focused on until Part 4 of the book (about a couple hundred pages into the book) and even then it almost seems like a summary.

The background on FDR was interesting, but I thought it could have been pared down, since I thought the point of the book was to focus on his first year in office. Plus, I already know a great deal about FDR's history so I did not need the review.

Also, this book did not focus on his legislation or anything close to that as much as I would have liked. The book was more about President Roosevelt's personality and disposition and how he manipulated his way into getting certain things.

Even with these disappointments, I think this book is well-written and an exciting read. It has short chapters, which I liked, since it makes you feel like you are really reading a great deal.

I would recommend this book to anyone who does not know much about President Roosevelt or anyone who is interested in President Roosevelt's temperament and how that affected his political life. ( )

4210 The Defining Moment FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope, by Jonathan Alter (read 16 Sep 2006) This is a non-profound book about FDR's 100 Hundred Days, but it spends a lot of time telling of FDR's career leading up to the 100 days from Mar 4, 1933 to June 17, 1933, including an insightful account of the 1932 Convention which he says almost did not nominate FDR. This book is a lot of fun to read. There are a few minor errors, which I point out in my review on Amazon: Amazon.com: Reviews for The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope: Books: Jonathan Alter ( )

The Defining Moment, by Jonathan Alter, can be best summarized by its own subtitle: “FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope.” I seldom “read” the audio versions of histories or biographies because the numerous dates and names are hard to retain, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this 10-disc, 12 hour and 35 minute presentation is so well read by Grover Gardner that I was able to easily follow the book.

Few of us who didn’t live through the troubles of the 1930s realize today just how close the United States came to suffering a literal revolution of its citizens who saw everything around them collapsing while they so desperately struggled to feed their families. Just as the unemployment rate began to soar, workers faced the likelihood of losing their savings to a failing bank system. That was the situation faced by newly elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he stepped into his White House office on his first day in office.

Roosevelt won the “anyone but Hoover” election easily and, while many in his own party did not consider him to be the best man for the job, he turned out to be ideally suited for the situation he faced. Instead of becoming the benevolent dictator that many officials were calling for, Roosevelt set off in co-operation with congress on a 100-day program that effectively saved both capitalism and democracy for future generations. He accepted a plan to save the banking system, a plan that had been largely drafted by administrators from the Hoover administration, and began to rebuild the confidence of Americans within days of the beginning of his first term.

Within the first 100 days of this first term, plans were in place to put people back to work and the country began to recover from the panic and despair that had cost Hoover the White House. Roosevelt’s judgment was not always the best and his political instincts sometimes unnecessarily made enemies of people he could have had as political allies rather than as political enemies. He was adamantly opposed to federal deposit insurance for bank accounts, for instance, because he believed that the weaker banks would fail and the cost to the government would cause even the larger, healthier banks to follow suit. Fortunately, he was unable to stop the congress from passing an insurance bill despite his opposition. Of course, although it didn’t occur until 1937, Roosevelt’s greatest legacy is the Social Security System which he helped to create.

The Defining Moment gave me a new appreciation for all that Roosevelt accomplished and for just how close the country came to being changed forever in a negative way. Things were so desperate that many in the government and among the citizenry were prepared to junk capitalism in favor of some variation on socialism or communism. As has so often happened in American history, the right man for the job of president came along at the moment he was most needed. Franklin Roosevelt successfully faced his “defining moment” and the rest is history.

Rated at : 3.0 ( )

Provides excellent insight into the politics of the time, the power of hope in politics and leadership. ( )