Take a photo of a barcode or cover
37 reviews for:
The Arsenal of Democracy: Fdr, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War
A.J. Baime
4.23 AVERAGE
37 reviews for:
The Arsenal of Democracy: Fdr, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War
A.J. Baime
4.23 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
As a history book, this may not be everyone's cup of tea. It reads a bit like historical fiction, with bits of added dialog that propel the story. To the author's credit, the book is heavily researched and footnoted, and in his epilogue he makes a convincing case regarding the prose style of the writing. Scholars may cringe, but for most of us, the book is an interesting account of the incredible effort by the American auto industry to arm the United States with bombers and arsenal following Pearl Harbor. In 1940, the US Army was practically non-existent. The transformation of industry to the war effort was nothing short of remarkable. The author adds some additional drama by focusing on the strained relationship of Henry and Edsel Ford, Henry's alleged Nazi sympathies, his dislike of FDR, and the fact that Ford's European divisions were actually building armament for the Axis. Light reading as far as history goes, but I learned a lot.
My entire life, up until 2 weeks ago, I have insisted that I'm "not a history person". After reading and loving all of Erik Larson's books, I was still maintaining that I didn't like history. Now I realize I have been fooling myself and others for quite some time. I think a bad couple of history classes in high school and college really got me in the mindset that history was for sleeping. This book was super interesting, I learned so much about our role in WWII, and I drive by the Edsel Ford Estate which is referenced in the book so it feels even more relevant. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I actually like history!
This is more about the Ford family, less about WWII, and kind of disorganized. I wish it had looked more deeply at manufacturing beyond the Ford family and the B24 liberator. The Ford family feud was interesting, as was the peek at Detroit history. 3.5 stars.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I thought this was quite good. Even though the author doesn’t have a really academic background, he writes in an interesting and easy to conceptualize way. This is in no way an in depth analysis of FDR, the Ford family, Nazi Germany, etc., however this book does give the reader a starting point for further research.
Great read! This history teacher learned lots and can't wait to incorporate some of this info into my classroom.
This was an outstanding book. The book tells the behind the scenes story of Ford's efforts to assist the (WWII) war effort despite Henry Fords staunch pacifisms and hatred of Roosevelt. The book provides a great reminder of the importance of industrial capacity, a national attribute often not considered as a part of a key component of nation's defense, but should be. This was why I deviated from my typical free market centered approach and came to see the importance of Foxconn's wish to establish a US/WI presence. It's also why the last National Defense Authorization Act provides incentives to manufacture semi-conductors in the US. Way too many of our essential technologies, that enable our national defense, are solely manufactured in nations that don't share our values (China).
There are smaller stories within this book. In particular, the internal politics of Ford are fascinating. The Godfather like material. The book also offers interest stories about (arguably) the most interest man of the 20th century, Charles Lindberg who worked for Ford during this time.
Proud to be an American, an American that has only owned Fords!
There are smaller stories within this book. In particular, the internal politics of Ford are fascinating. The Godfather like material. The book also offers interest stories about (arguably) the most interest man of the 20th century, Charles Lindberg who worked for Ford during this time.
Proud to be an American, an American that has only owned Fords!
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced