No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

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.

When Franklin Roosevelt was the President of the United States, he would sometimes deliver speeches to the American people via radio that he dubbed “Fireside Chats”. His idea was to give a talk to the American people, from time to time, about relevant current events in a language that the people could truly understand. He didn’t want to overwhelm them with government jargon, nor get technical with the comings and goings of the country. He wished to simply talk to the people so that they would have a full, rich understanding of whatever was his topic of the chat. I mention this as I begin my review of this book because this seems the overall goal of author Doris Kearns Goodwin as well. She doesn’t set out to overburden the reader with masses of detail, she simply sets out to tell a wonderful, absorbing story.This book is not an exhaustive biography of Franklin and/or Eleanor Roosevelt. Nor is it a sequential, detailed account of the accomplishments of the 32nd President’s administration. No, there are plenty of books out there for you if that is what you are wanting. This book, instead, tells a magnificent story of the President and the First Lady as they guided the United States of America through its most tumultuous time of the 20th century.This book really does have a little bit of “everything”, though. We start the narrative on May 9th, 1940. This was eight months after World War II began, but I believe the author starts the story here - as Hitler is simultaneously invading Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and France, because this is the time when most in the USA realized that, sooner or later, this would be America’s war as well. So we do hear about events of the conflict in Europe and in Asia, but we’re also exposed to other troubles on the home front - some related to the war, others not so much. We’re also allowed to peer into the private lives of Franklin and Eleanor, and we learn much about these two great individuals, and how they were able to lift the U.S.A out of the Great Depression into arguably the greatest time the country has ever had when forced to rise to such an enormous occasion.We do get thrown bits of information of their lives before 1940, but not much. Readers wanting, for example, a comprehensive understanding of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” should probably look elsewhere. When Goodwin takes us back in time, she does this so the reader can better understand the present. We see, for example, that these fifth cousins were actually born into a life of privilege, yet were attracted to each other because the other one had characteristics that they each sorely lacked. We also see Franklin’s over protective mother who smothered him with far too much attention. She never could really “let him go”, which actually damaged Franklin and Eleanor’s marriage to a degree.This story is just as much about Eleanor as it is about Franklin. As First Lady of the United States, she’s not at all content to simply being a hostess of the White House and giving cocktail parties. No, the woman had an incredible progressive spirit, and she uses her title to travel the country pointing out all of the injustices and doing everything in her power to bring the issues to the front of everyone’s mind, including her husband’s. Her pet cause is Civil Rights for the African-American community, a cause that greatly needed more support. It really is amazingly heart breaking to read about the injustices that still existed in the 1940s around race relations.Eleanor travels abroad as well, visiting soldiers close to the battle lines and in the hospitals, bringing comfort wherever she can. The woman has such a tireless disposition, that she manages to wear out and exhaust the military brass as they escort her around their destinations. Even they can’t keep up with the First Lady. At one point, the author mentions that the President and the First Lady were a great team because Franklin was good at accomplishing what could be done, whereas Eleanor devoted her attention to what should be done. The two, oddly, don’t always go hand in hand.Sadly, it’s the actual relationship between husband and wife that makes this tale a bit sad. We’re left with the impression that these two really did need one another, but they didn’t necessarily want one another. They had one of those marriages that probably would have failed if these two people would have lived sixty years in the future. It seems as though, early on in their marriage, their romantic devotion dies. At one point, around 1918, Eleanor discovers her husband had been having an affair with Lucy Mercer. This news devastated her, as it should. What Eleanor did not know is that Franklin continued to have clandestine meetings with Ms. Mercer while President, even up until his death in 1945 (although many doubt that the relationships was anything more than a deep friendship). Such a relationship was possible because, well, Eleanor was never home. She was always out, on the road doing whatever she could for the cause. Truth be told, there seemed to be a lot of deep emotional attachments that both of them shared with other people. There’s even a hint that Eleanor was involved in a lesbian relationship with journalist Lorena Hickok. Although this was always speculative, most would agree that Hickok definitely did have romantic feelings for Eleanor, we just will never know whether or not such feelings were ever reciprocated.So great leaders of a great country, they definitely were. As a leader of a normal household as husband and wife, not as much. We read a bit about the five Roosevelt children, and we’re left with the impression that growing up was a bit hard from an emotional perspective. None of the kids would live up to their parent’s legend, and between the five of them, they ended up with 19 marriages amongst them. Even when Eleanor is home in the White House, she and Franklin have separate bedrooms, and Franklin seems more chummy with selected members of his female staff (many reside in the White House as well), than the First Lady.But these two soldiers lumber on, working tirelessly to the point of exhaustion. Oddly, FDR is nearly at death’s door as early as 1944, yet he still manages to win a fourth term as President. Not sure if that could happen in the 21st century with the internet and cable news. Sadly, Roosevelt finally does succumb to death a mere month from the allies victory in Europe, and it’s truly sad that he doesn’t live long enough to see one of his greatest triumphs of rallying a nation to defeat an evil deranged dictator.I simply loved this book. Not once did I feel overwhelmed with detail about politics, policies, elections, or war time strategy. Doris Kearns Goodwin keeps things very simple, very concise, yet manages to be very thorough as well. I can’t seemed to ever recall when 600+ pages went by so quickly. A truly remarkable book about two of our greatest leaders that led the country during the most unordinary times of our nation’s history. Thank God.Literally, Thank God.

It is easy to see why this book won the Pulitzer Prize: there can surely be no better examination of the American home-front during World War II: its slow adjustment from isolation to dedicated involvement, the adjustment of the economy and business from the Depression to a war footing, the social progress made by women and African-Americans and the disgraceful treatment of Japanese-Americans.Goodwin demonstrates just how entwined were the endeavours of the soldiers at the battlefront and the domestic workers at home, how much the eventual Allied victory relied on the immense manufacturing capability of the American economy. The Allies didn't win World War II through superior soldiering or strategy; the Axis powers were simply swamped by the overwhelming might of the American military-industrial complex. And all of these efforts, of industry and business and economics and labour, were all guided and shaped by the hand of Franklin Roosevelt, with Eleanor at his side serving as his eyes and ears where the crippled Roosevelt could not go, forging a independent role for herself and revolutionising the role of First Lady.It must surely be one of the great what-ifs of history - what if Franklin Roosevelt had not been at the helm during World War II? Would another President have supported the Allies the way he did? Would another President have come up with lend-lease? Would another President have forged quite the same relationship with Churchill or Stalin? Would another President have had a wife quite as remarkable as Eleanor Roosevelt, to serve as his social conscience and moral arbiter? It is of course impossible to say, but reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's remarkable book, one can only be thankful that such an extraordinary couple as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were in the White House at this most crucial of times.

Dreadfully presented. Beware this is the American edition: I've had better photocopies. The photographs were done on an etch a sketch, the so-called American cut paper has the appearance of having been pushed through a shredder ... and the book arrived completely skewed out of square. Are they trying to persuade me to get a kindle?

A unique insight into The White House, and the amazing personalities who occupied it at an extraordinary time. All Doris Kearns Goodwin's books are excellent, I really recommend Team of Rivals, which is about Lincoln. Most people agree it's probably the best political biography ever written.

ONLY A 'SHORT' BOOK' AS REGARDS MOST OF THE BOOKS I LOVE TO READ, BY SHORT,I MEAN NOT A LOT OF PAGES, I LOVE A GOOD THICK TOME BUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK WAS WELL WRITTEN AND INTERESTING AND I ENJOYED READING IT.

good