Man of Destiny

Reviews / Votes

Wall Street Journal "Mr. Hamby's Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century, is a useful critical introduction to this most maddeningly elusive of presidents." Booklist "[Man of Destiny] offers several interesting insights into Roosevelt as a man and as a politician... an easily digestible, well-researched account that is ideal for general readers." Weekly Standard "[A] splendid book... This is as much a story of a man's obsessive determination as it is a political biography." Publishers Weekly "A reliable one-volume introduction to the ebullient New York governor who became the 32nd president of the U.S." Kirkus "A straightforward, 'flesh-and-blood' study of the president that underscores the depth and ambiguity behind the charming facade." John Judis, Senior Writer, National Journal "Alonzo Hamby has written a terrific biography of Franklin Roosevelt. He has a good eye for the relevant rather than superfluous detail. And he answers the big question about FDR: how someone of inherited wealth and lofty standing became the scourge of Wall Street and the champion of the ordinary American. I have a somewhat more positive assessment of Roosevelt's New Deal years, but Hamby's more critical view, especially in regard to his analysis of the 1937-8 recession, has given me pause. I highly recommend this book." Anthony Badger, author of FDR: The First Hundred Days "No one has written with greater authority on American political leadership in the 1930s and 1940s than Alonzo Hamby. Man of Destiny is simply the best one-volume biography of FDR we have--a superb, clear-headed study based on a lifetime of research and hard thinking." John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize--winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life "We have long lacked a comprehensive one volume life of FDR by a historian equally proficient in the political, economic, and international history of his era. Alonzo Hamby's Man of Destiny more than meets that need: beautifully written, solidly researched, and admirably fair in its findings, it will henceforth be the most readable--and teachable--biography of the 20th century's most influential American president." Jeremi Suri, author of Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama "FDR remains the most influential, enduring, and enigmatic leader of twentieth century America. Alonzo Hamby's book offers a fascinating portrait of Roosevelt, brilliantly capturing his political prescience and strategic acumen, as well as his personal egotism and intellectual inconsistency. Hamby explains how a very human president contributed to seemingly super-human outcomes. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in history, politics, and leadership."