Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War of Words with Charles Lindbergh­—and the Battle to Save Democracy

Sparrow, former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, puts his knowledge of the president’s archives to excellent use in this riveting debut history. From 1939 to 1941, as Americans debated whether to enter WWII, FDR and famed aviator Charles Lindbergh “entered into a war of words,” becoming avatars for the country’s interventionist and isolationist camps. Roosevelt, long convinced Nazism was a threat to democracy, began advocating for intervention immediately; Lindbergh reared his head as a surprise antagonist, delivering speeches and radio addresses with the backing of William Randolph Hearst and Henry Ford. Sparrow’s main focus is on analyzing FDR’s speechwriting process and public performances to shed light on how he persuaded Americans to take up arms in defense of democracy. Sparrow makes ample use of Roosevelt’s own words to showcase that persuasiveness: “When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him.” Though the author’s strong regard for FDR occasionally leads him to veer into hyperbole—he likens Roosevelt to “a chess master planning twenty moves ahead”—his storytelling captivates, and he makes an invigorating case that the president’s calls to fight for democracy resonate today. It’s a gripping snapshot of America at a crossroads. Agent: Leah Spiro, Riverside Creative Management. (June)