Lindbergh vs. Roosevelt

“In the name-calling that passes for how American history is taught these days, an authentic American hero, Charles Lindbergh, is too often dismissed as a ‘Nazi sympathizer’ because of his opposition to President Roosevelt’s war policy. Lindbergh’s actual service as an anti-Nazi spy is overlooked, as are his many contributions to the war effort, including his volunteer combat service in the Pacific. But as historian James Duffy points out in Lindbergh vs. Roosevelt, there’s a lot more to the story than that; Lindbergh was the victim of a longstanding smear campaign by a president desperate to silence one of his most prominent critics. In this excellent book, Duffy successfully restores the honor that properly belongs to Lindbergh and draws a more skeptical, and accurate, portrayal of Roosevelt. If you love reading twentieth-century American history, you’ll love this book.”

“In Lindbergh vs. Roosevelt, James Duffy ably describes the contrasting worldviews of Charles Lindbergh and Franklin Roosevelt. Duffy carefully and persuasively shows how FDR pushed the US toward war and how Lindbergh warned against the entangling alliances that George Washington wanted Americans to avoid. Duffy shows how FDR prevailed in the war debate and how he smeared and undermined Lindbergh in the process. Duffy’s book is an excellent contribution to the research on the disappointing character of FDR as president.”

“Narrator Tom Weiner’s sonorous voice establishes a pace some might say goes too fast, but he can do it without dropping a word or losing the listener. Weiner adds spark to nonfiction by making it move along, maybe faster than many listeners would do with a printed page. Weiner’s narration adds greatly to our enjoyment of another New Deal war.”