Reviews for The Roosevelts

by Geoffrey C Ward and Ken Burns

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The very definition of lavishly illustratedan oversized volume containing nearly 800 photographs documenting the lives of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and (to a much lesser extent) their wives and families.Prolific historian Ward (A Disposition to Be Rich: Ferdinand Ward, the Greatest Swindler of the Gilded Age, 2013, etc.) opens with the promising assertion that the similarities and not the differences between Teddy and FDR are the more interesting avenue of study. Those similarities are qualified but very real. Both bucked the reins of their parties, though the one remained a Republican for most of his political career (said Teddy, The man is not everything; the party is most of all), and the other redefined Democratic Party politics; both were children of privilege whose sense ofnoblesse obligeincluded a fundamental sense of fairness that seems not to characterize the 1 percent of today. Ward chronicles the modest ironies that propelled both to the heights of political powerFranklin, for instance, was first picked to balance a ticket as an easterner with an independent reputation [who] had a good record in wartime Washington andbore a last name the party hoped would appeal to independent voters. Both Teddy and Franklin, as Ward ably demonstrates in a lucid text, surpassed all that was expected of them and transcended class to embrace an American-ness for which many readers will be nostalgic. Wards text is top-flight, as always, but it would be much less so without the superbly curated photographs that accompany it, documenting such things as bracing hunts in the Rockies, anti-lynching demonstrations in Washington and boats full of teenage soldiers powering toward the beaches of Normandy.Excellent, as we have come to expect from the team of Ward and Burnsan eye-opening look at a political dynasty worthy of the name and at a state of politics far better than our own. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* The name Ken Burns will be familiar to many readers and television viewers. He is an award-winning producer and director of documentary films. Not surprisingly, then, this oversize, completely engaging book, of which he is coauthor, is a tie-in volume to a PBS documentary to air in fall 2014. (The other author, Geoffrey C. Ward, doesn't take a backseat here; he is the author of the award-winning A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt, 1989.) Tacking a course that supports the adage that in adversity comes strength, the authors profile, in a well-woven narrative, the lives and careers of Teddy Roosevelt, his cousin Franklin, and Franklin's wife, Eleanor (who was also Teddy's niece). Without having to overstate any fact or situation, the authors establish that these three distinguished individuals made significant differences in the political and social fabric of the country, such that their footprints remain indelible in U.S. history. Teddy's early ill-health, FDR's polio, and Eleanor's lack of confidence, especially in the face of her husband's infidelity, resulted in their individual drives to succeed as well as in the compelling nature of their life stories.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2010 Booklist


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This companion to Burns's forthcoming documentary chronicles the lives of three of America's most influential people: -Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), his distant cousin Franklin -Delano (1882-1945), and -Franklin's wife, Eleanor (1884-1962). The large (11" x 10") book is laden with images and divided into short one- to two-page sections, each relaying an anecdote or event. Its focus gravitates toward finding the common threads running throughout each of the subject's lives, particularly Theodore's influence on Franklin despite the small amount of time they actually spent together. On its own, this is a cross between an extremely well-researched biography and a coffee-table book with rare, incredible images. Its emphasis on revealing the connections among the three individuals and the incredible energy and strength that they shared is distinct and welcome, and the story is wonderfully told through intimate anecdotes that make the three political titans very human. This work does not possess the depth of the hefty individual biographies written about its subjects but explores a mostly unexamined dynamic with great care. VERDICT Recommended for those interested in presidential history, women's studies, and Burns's documentary work.-Benjamin Brudner, Curry Coll. Lib., Milton, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In this impressively thorough history, and companion piece to a forthcoming PBS series, historian/screenwriter Ward and producer/director Burns (Baseball: An Illustrated History) examine the lives and careers of one of America's most memorable political dynasties, the Roosevelts, as represented by Theodore, Eleanor, and Franklin. Starting with Teddy's asthma-plagued youth and ending with Eleanor's death in 1962, every aspect of their lives and legacies is touched upon. Hundreds of photos, newspaper clippings, and accompanying captions flesh out the story, which expands to cover their friends and family, enemies, and (alleged) lovers. While none of the brief, chronological entries are incredibly deep, each offers a solid background to the relevant material, providing an engaging look at America during the first half of the 20th century. Part history, part biography, Ward and Burns strike the perfect balance between information and entertainment, keeping the tone casual yet authoritative. It would be a monumental task to cover any one of the three in full detail; this, then, is the perfect coffee table book treatment for such a trio. Agent: Carl Brandt, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

Franklin Roosevelt biographer Ward (Before the Trumpet, CH, Sep'85; A First Class Temperament, CH, Mar'90, 27-4086) has written a fine companion book to the six-episode PBS documentary on the Roosevelt family directed by Ken Burns. Like the documentary, the book focuses primarily on the background and personalities of Theodore, Eleanor, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Though Ward devotes requisite time to the politics of the Progressive and New Deal eras, he places much more emphasis on the Roosevelts' private lives and their interactions with family members, sometimes dabbling in psychohistory to explain possible motivations for behaviors and actions. General readers as well as Roosevelt scholars will enjoy the extensive rare and more-common photographs of the major individuals and their times as they leap out from every page. The photos and captions accompany the vast array of interesting stories related by the author, beginning with Theodore's birth in the 1850s to Eleanor's death in the early 1960s. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. --Keith J. Volanto, Collin College