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Summary: Prof. Kennedy is a great writer! Wish he was my hist. prof.
Review: I loved this book because he writes the way I wish more history books were written--which is a book full of facts based on meticulous research, yet the writer not being afraid to make his own judgement about events(particularly policies of the New Deal by FDR). I figure I am paying for the wealth of knowledge and opinion of Prof. Kennedy. As far as opinion, it seems very objective and impartial. Although I detected sympathies.I greatly enjoyed the first part on the New Deal and the way the writer incorporates the human equation of individuals with the policies on a larger government scale. This made is very enthralling and easy to read. It was almost like a historical novel. I think it takes a very self confident history professor to write like that. The second part on WWII was a good general overview. As a student of WWII history, I felt Prof. Kennedy could have incoporated more humaness to it like he did during the first part of the book. One aspect I enjoyed was his focus on the aerial war(combined bomber offensive) as it was woven in nicely with the grand scheme of US involvement in the European Theater of Operation(ETO). Most books focus on separately on only the land war or air war.
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Summary: An insightful Narrative
Review: Freedom from Fear places the Depression and the Second World War together for analysis. Kennedy does a great job placing these two events into prespective in relation to one another. The book is an easy read for study or pleasure. The information and notes are helpful for further study of the various areas. The only down fall is that the footnotes are at the bottom of each page, and not in end notes. So pay attention the the resources you might want to explore while reading the text.
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Summary: History that is easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable!
Review: This book was used as the primary textbook for a history class I took this past Fall semester. It was easy to read because the writing flows easily across the page! Kennedy wrote a well-researched, finely-edited book about the 2 most traumatic periods in 20th century America, the Great Depression and World War II. His lengthy and thorough research on Herbert Hoover as President and the relationship between he and Franklin Roosevelt was very interesting and enlightening! I really enjoyed this book a great deal!
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Summary: A stupendous and enthralling book
Review: This has got to be the best book of its kind--its account of the New Deal, while not as pro as I tend to view it, is well-balanced and probably more right than my view thereof. The account of the war is just very well-done, and the only reason one wants the book to end is because one wants to win the war. I cannot think of a single judgment he makes which seems to me to be wrong, tho I suppose specialists would not agree. This is a very good book
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Summary: Comprehensive, Excellent for History Lovers
Review: I picked this up for the depression history, which was excellent. It gels a lot of sequential events into a comprehensive, albeit long, history of the era. If you like history, this is the best work I have read, so far, of this era. Kennedy's observations on Roosevelt's statesmenship was tremendously insightful. The remainder of the book on the war was icing on very well baked cake.
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Summary: A sweeping history - an update: not a revision
Review: Kennedy shares with his readers the latest scholarship on a pivotal time in American history. Although some (see below) apparently cannot deal with the fact that FDR is portrayed as a man rather than a god, the truth is that Kennedy takes a scholarly, dispassionate look at this period and finds that some of views need updating (e.g. Hoover was not a "do nothing" but had philosophical views that kept him from intervening as FDR did). This comprehensive volume does NOT portray America as being perfect. Kennedy cites in particular the failure of the US to handle the Japanese with diplomacy, which is interesting although I'm not convinced that war with the Japanese could have been avoided without paying too high of a price. All in all, it will likely be the standard one volume history of this period for some time to come.
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Summary: This one sets a new standard as a history of this era
Review: This is a superb, gripping book, with fresh insights throughout. The concluding epilogue alone is worth the price as a fine summary of a pivotal era that shadows us still. Douglas Kennedy is too intelligent, informed and felicitous a writer and historian to accept orthodox presumptions that govern our thinking of the era. His discussions of the economic forces at work - while glazed over by some readers - are well worth the effort as they give the patient reader a chance to understand the bedrock of the present global system. Some readers may find him a bit too dismissive of MacArthur, or perhaps a mite too kind to Hoover. And perhaps the book could have done a stronger job explaining the foundations of the global economy set in the closing years of the war and just after - an American legacy that may already dwarf the welcome but ambiguous Cold War victory. But these are small cavils; his facts are solid. This is a great history that skillfully blends human drama, historical analysis and a great arsenal of scholarship. You can't go wrong on this one; it was a pure pleasure to read.
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Summary: First rate addition to the Oxford series.
Review: The author, David Kennedy, has succeeded in bringing a scholarly work in American history to the vast numbers of us ordinary history buffs for some informative and delightful reading. The story is told in an inspired prose which makes the events seem to have happened in the recent past where they touch our families and our souls. My hat is off to DMK for this magnificent work.
Rating: 
Summary: Good. Extensive review of political and economic policy.
Review: I am half way through this book and it has been kind of hard to read since I am more interested in the experience of the American people than all of the policies (both economic and political) of the era. I am looking forward to reading Lorena Hickok's account of the depression more than this book. If you are deeply interested in political and economic policies of the FDR presidency this is the book for you. If not, try something a little less wordy.
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Summary: Required reading for anyone seeking facts about this era!
Review: Freedom From Fear is an amazing collection of information regarding the tumultuous time period spanning 1929-1945. Kennedy presents a balanced, pragmatic view of the political and social issues of the day that have often been revised and twisted beyond recognition by others. I especially enjoyed how Kennedy addressed many controversial rumors regarding WWII, including events surrounding the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the race to develop atomic weapons. Some sections regarding monetary policy, the gold standard, etc., were sometimes tedious, but most of the time I could hardly wait to turn the page! I recommend this book to anyone interested in American and world history, but especially to those not old enough to have lived through the Great Depression and WWII.
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