Final Victory: FDR's Extraordinary World War II Presidential Campaign - Tapa dura

Publishers Weekly, 3/26/12 "Weintraub paints a vivid portrait of the public mood and of FDR literally willing himself to victory with a relatively unknown running mate, Harry Truman...Historically satisfying, bringing the events to life with telling anecdotes, Weintraub's book portrays a political icon determined to make his mark on America and the world in the twilight of his life." Kirkus Reviews, 5/15/12 "In this well-researched, engaging history, Weintraub effectively brings the players to life, portraying the public and private faces of the witty, indomitable FDR and his opponent, the stiff, humorless New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey...Weintraub shows how Roosevelt, despite his illness, was still a force to be reckoned with...A well-drawn political history of FDR's last days." Unshelved Book Club, 5/4/12 "[A] satisfyingly gossipy history of Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaign for an unprecedented fourth term." WWII History, July 2012 "[An] engrossing work dealing with the only American president to serve more than two terms." Milwaukee Shepherd-Express, 7/3/12 "[A] well-researched and entertaining voyage through that long-ago, unprecedented campaign." Milwaukee Sunday Journal Sentinel, 7/9/12 "Briskly written...Weintraub does a great job turning what could be a predictable subject (we know how it turns out, after all) into a page-turner. And he shows some interesting same-as-it-ever-was parallels to today." Hudson Valley News, 7/18/12 "Weintraub has brought it all back...This book reads like a novel. Whether or not you remember those days, they will come to life for you while reading this book." InfoDad.com, 7/26/12 "[Weintraub] is certainly aware of ways in which the 1944 election has resonance with later ones...Weintraub does a good job of using primary sources and of humanizing grand events of the day." Bookviews.com, August 2012 "A fascinating visit to the past." Reference & Research Book News, August 2012 "[Weintraub] employs an anecdotal/narrative sort of approach to the topic, offering a snapshot of the political mood and contexts of the country at a time of war as much as he considers the specifics of Roosevelt's decisions and activities as he campaigned with the relatively unknown Harry Truman." Library Journal, 8/10/12 "Enjoyable and readable. Weintraub knows the literature and how to hold a reader's attention. Political junkies will especially enjoy it during this electoral season." Roanoke Times, 8/12/12 "An in-depth account of the election of 1944...Some readers might see an eerie similarity between the 1944 campaign and the 2012 campaign." Lowell Sun, 8/5/12 "[A] great summer read for both lovers of politics as well as history buffs." Richmond Times-Dispatch, 8/19/12 "Offers a detailed look at the 1944 race and contains details that even the most inveterate reader of FDR books will find fresh...A penetrating look at a seminal campaign and an intriguing view of American history, Final Victory examines, with scholarship and sense, a unique moment in politics and a fascinating look at some of the major political and military figures of the Second World War. Weintraub...again demonstrates his skill at examining the republic in moments of crisis." Asbury Park Press, 8/19/12 "Weintraub d The Military Advisor, Winter 2014 "This is a marvelous treatise by a noted World War II author on the last of four of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidential races--run in the middle of the war, no less!...This is an outstanding tale of a democracy successfully preparing to possibly change leaders in the midst of its greatest war, as well as a tale that all FDR fans and foes will want to read and cherish." H-Net Reviews "Weintraub weaves a careful, smooth approach to political history...His style is prescient and richly historical...A fluid and provocative historical study...A short, light read...Lively and informative."

When the wartime 1944 presidential election campaign geared up late that spring, Franklin D. Roosevelt had already occupied the White House years longer than any other president. Sensing likely weakness, the Republicans mounted an energetic and expensive campaign, hitting hard at FDR's liberal domestic policies and the war's ongoing cost. Despite gravely deteriorating health, FDR and his feisty running mate, the unexpected Harry Truman, campaigned vigorously against young governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York and old-line Ohio governor John Bricker. Roosevelt's charm and wit, as well as the military successes in Europe and the Pacific, contributed to his sweeping electoral victory. But the hard-fought campaign would soon take its toll on America's only four-term president. Preeminent historian and biographer Stanley Weintraub recaptures FDR's striking "last campaign" and the year's momentous events, from the rainy city streets where Roosevelt, his legs paralyzed by polio since 1922, rode in an open car, to the battlefronts where the commander-in-chief's forces were closing in on Hitler and Hirohito. The tale is unforgettable.