Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Audiobook37 hours

    Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Written by H. W. Brands

    Narrated by Mark Deakins

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    A sweeping, magisterial biography of the man generally considered the greatest president of the twentieth century, admired by Democrats and Republicans alike. Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years, his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised, his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy in America during the Great Depression and the American cause of freedom in World War II.

    Drawing on archival materials, public speeches, personal correspondence, and accounts by family and close associates, acclaimed bestselling historian and biographer H. W. Brands offers a compelling and intimate portrait of Roosevelt’s life and career.

    Brands explores the powerful influence of FDR’s dominating mother and the often tense and always unusual partnership between FDR and his wife, Eleanor, and her indispensable contributions to his presidency. Most of all, the book traces in breathtaking detail FDR’s revolutionary efforts with his New Deal legislation to transform the American political economy in order to save it, his forceful—and cagey—leadership before and during World War II, and his lasting legacy in creating the foundations of the postwar international order.

    Traitor to His Class brilliantly captures the qualities that have made FDR a beloved figure to millions of Americans.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateNov 4, 2008
    ISBN9781415956670
    Author

    H. W. Brands

    H. W. Brands is a distinguished professor of history and holder of the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. His books include the Pulitzer Prize finalist The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, The Age of Gold, and TR, a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. He lives in Austin, Texas.

    More audiobooks from H. W. Brands

    Related to Traitor to His Class

    Related audiobooks

    Political Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      The Usa’s Call To Arms

      Feb 26, 2020

      The Usa’s Call To Arms
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cracking The Code

      Nov 1, 2024

      Cracking The Code
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Midway Betrayal

      Nov 7, 2017

      Midway Betrayal
      21 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Days of Infamy

      Nov 1, 2022

      Days of Infamy
      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Practically Irreplaceable

      Jan 24, 2023

      Practically Irreplaceable
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Not In Colorado Anymore

      Dec 22, 2020

      Not In Colorado Anymore
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      De Gaulle’s 1941 Coup

      Apr 12, 2022

      De Gaulle’s 1941 Coup
      20 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Innocent Suspects

      Feb 26, 2020

      Innocent Suspects
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      4,415 Souls And Counting

      Aug 9, 2022

      4,415 Souls And Counting
      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      1942 Churchill’s Darkest Hour

      Mar 17, 2022

      1942 Churchill’s Darkest Hour
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

      May 16, 2019

      Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Red, White And Blue Over China

      Oct 30, 2018

      Red, White And Blue Over China
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Brain Power

      Nov 8, 2022

      Brain Power
      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Anniversaries

      Jul 6, 2023

      Anniversaries
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Falklands Lessons

      Jul 2, 2019

      Falklands Lessons
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Undefended Shore

      Nov 7, 2017

      Undefended Shore
      18 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Before Eternity

      Oct 5, 2021

      Before Eternity
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Enter The Americans

      Feb 26, 2020

      Enter The Americans
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Blueprint For Wwii Resistance

      Sep 28, 2021

      Blueprint For Wwii Resistance
      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      American Subs—where?

      Jul 30, 2019

      American Subs—where?
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Hemingway’s War

      Jul 31, 2018

      Hemingway’s War
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Party of Ike

      Apr 22, 2018

      The Party of Ike
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Stephen Crane At The Front

      Nov 5, 2019

      Stephen Crane At The Front
      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Attack On Pearl Harbor

      Nov 25, 2021

      The Attack On Pearl Harbor
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Explosion Of The Monster Torpedo

      Oct 6, 2020

      Thomas Morris Chester was born in 1834 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where his parents operated a restaurant that became known as a gathering place for abolitionists. (His mother was born into slavery but had escaped at age 19.) They were successful e

      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Apocalypse Row

      Oct 19, 2022

      Apocalypse Row
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Traitor to His Class

    4/5

    113 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Excellent! I really enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit.
      Covers FDR well, though it is a little on the softer side regarding anything negative, but pretty well balanced.
    • 4/5
      Brands' biography of FDR is written in such a manner, that he intertwines the narrative of FDR's life, with natinoal and world events. Brands' approach weaves a narrative to where he argues that FDRs actions were influenced by such world and national events--before the 1930s and the Great Depression!
      I personally did not see the connection between the title and the narrative itself; but that does not dissuade.
    • 4/5
      I grew up around grandparents on one side who worshipped Roosevelt. Those on the other side thought him a traitor to his class. I had to read the book, and I enjoyed it. Well conceived and written.
    • 3/5
      Very interesting, well written but very little about the theme as stated in the title, did the author decide on the title first and then find out that there really wasn't the information. FDR didn't explain himself much.
    • 5/5
      I mean this with no exaggeration: H.W. Brands's "Traitor to His Class" is incredibly well-written, well-researched, and addictively engaging. One of the best biographies I've ever read of anyone.
    • 4/5
      Misleading title since this is a very complimentary bio of FDR. The thing that strikes me most about FDR and the New Deal is how unsuccesful and counter-productive his poliices were. Even worse, a valid arugment can be made that his polcieis made the Depression longer and more severe. But his greatness was in preparing the US for war with Germany and Japan and guiding the country through WWII. Well worth the read.
    • 4/5
      Comprehensive Biography of FDR

      At 800 plus pages, H.W. Brands's new book "Traitor To His Class" is certainly an exhaustive biography of one of the most influential presidents in American history in Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Having read extensively on FDR, the Great Depression, and World War II, I have to say that I was personally a little disappointed in that there was little in Brands's new book that I did not already know. Still, this is a sweeping look at a crucial point in the trajectory of America's pre-eminent and emerging superpower status. Brands's is not just an academic and this book shows off his story-telling skills -- an intellectual who proves he can also be interesting and relevant.

      Overall, this is a highly enjoyable, if slightly left-wing liberal leaning look at the life of FDR. Definitely recommend for anyone who has an interest in twentieth-century history or history of the United States.
    • 3/5
      A very nice one vol. biography of FDR, it shows the man, the people around him and a good overview of the times. I recommend it for anyone that wants to know who FDR was and what he did