Book Review - Traitor To His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt By H.W. Brands

Book Reviewed: 

Traitor To His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt By H.W. Brands

Mr. Lincoln’s Thoughts:

This book was an excellent biography on FDR and coverage of his presidency. All of the New Deal is covered in detail. Roosevelt’s struggle to pass his progressive agenda into law is well documented. My only problem with this book is what the title leaves in the way of perception. My perception, according to the title, was that the book would cover the reactions to the New Deal policies Roosevelt rolled out during his time in Washington. Rather than a blow by blow account of support and opposition, the reader is left with biography of the key players in the New Deal, a detailed account of Roosevelt’s daily life, and a rather extensive family history.



Brand’s might well have titled his book THE POWER OF PRIVILEDGE: WHY FDR FOUGHT SO HARD FOR THE NEW DEAL. Brand’s attempt to show the advantages Roosevelt grew up experiencing is clear. The book also paints a vivid picture of Roosevelt’s motivations for surmounting a defense of the New Deal. What wants for explanation is the radicalness of the New Deal, and the extent of betrayal Roosevelt brought down on his class. In many of my classes (taught by academic supporters and detractors) Roosevelt is seen as having not simply laid a fly in the ointment with the New Deal, but having mashed the fly deep into the jar. What drew me to this book was just that. Reactions to the such a radical set of public policies would have made a much better book than the rolling out of humdrum facts about Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. In the world of Obamacare, free cell phones to the working poor, and school lunch mandates; and the reaction to, it would have been interesting to see the comparisons.

Despite my disappointment in my expectations of this book, it is still well written, well documented, and worth the time it takes to read. Would I have liked to have seen more reactions (either personal, professional, or political) to the New Deal? Yes. Would I have liked to see evidence of just how radical the New Deal was? Yes very much so!

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Traitor To His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt By H.W. Brands