Those Angry Days, Lynne Olson
Those Angry Days, Lynne Olson
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Those Angry Days
Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight over World War II, 1939-1941

Author: Lynne Olson

Narrator: Robert Fass

Unabridged: 18 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/26/2013


Synopsis

At the center of the debate over American intervention in World War II stood the two most famous men in America: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who championed the interventionist cause, and aviator Charles Lindbergh, who as unofficial leader and spokesman for America's isolationists emerged as the president's most formidable adversary. Their contest of wills personified the divisions within the country at large, and Lynne Olson makes masterly use of their dramatic personal stories to create a poignant and riveting narrative. While FDR, buffeted by political pressures on all sides, struggled to marshal public support for aid to Winston Churchill's Britain, Lindbergh saw his heroic reputation besmirched—and his marriage thrown into turmoil—by allegations that he was a Nazi sympathizer.

Spanning the years 1939 to 1941, Those Angry Days vividly re-creates the rancorous internal squabbles that gripped the United States in the period leading up to Pearl Harbor. After Germany vanquished most of Europe, America found itself torn between its traditional isolationism and the urgent need to come to the aid of Britain, the only country still battling Hitler. The conflict over intervention was, as FDR noted, "a dirty fight," rife with chicanery and intrigue, and Those Angry Days recounts every bruising detail. In Washington, a group of high-ranking military officers, including the Air Force chief of staff, worked to sabotage FDR's pro-British policies. Roosevelt, meanwhile, authorized FBI wiretaps of Lindbergh and other opponents of intervention. At the same time, a covert British operation, approved by the president, spied on antiwar groups, dug up dirt on congressional isolationists, and planted propaganda in U.S. newspapers.

The stakes could not have been higher. The combatants were larger than life. With the immediacy of a great novel, Those Angry Days brilliantly recalls a time fraught with danger when the future of democracy and America's role in the world hung in the balance.

About Lynne Olson

Before Lynne Olson began writing books full-time, she worked more than ten years as a journalist, including stints as Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press and White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. Four of her five books-all works of history-have dealt in some way with London during World War II. Among her titles are A Question of Honor, Troublesome Young Men, Freedom's Daughters, and the national bestseller Citizens of London. Olson has won the Christopher Award and has been shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in history. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lewis on August 07, 2013

UPDATED 8/7/13 An absolutely fantastic read. Olson writes history with the pace and intensity of a novel. Characters (real characters) are exposed bit by bit through their actions to have their strengths (Wendell Willkie) and weaknesses (FDR and Lindbergh) picked open to view. ... I have always liked......more

Goodreads review by CoachJim on August 19, 2022

The world is admittedly not what Americans—or anyone else— would like, but it is decidedly better than it would have been if the United States had not helped to defeat German and Japanese militarism. … If any war can be said to be worth fighting and winning, it was World War II. (Page 454) Those Angr......more

Goodreads review by Tim on June 15, 2022

In some ways, this story of the 1939-41 years, as America debated whether to involve itself in the War, is very familiar. The arguments each side makes follows the same rhythms we’ve seen with other conflicts. But while the arguments are similar, the evidence supporting those arguments are different......more

Goodreads review by robin on August 22, 2024

America Claims Its Future Although many books consider the history of the United States' entry into WW II, relatively few works focus on the tense, divisive history that proceeded Pearl Harbor. Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America" offers an imaginative novelist's look at this period which pales a......more

Goodreads review by Joseph on February 10, 2023

WARNING: If you are a fan of President Franklin D. Roosevelt you might not want to read this magnificent book? *If you are someone who is a Charles Lindbergh fan you might not want to read this book? *If you think the politicians of today are obsessed with poll numbers, you might seriously want to rea......more