Summary

In *No Ordinary Time*, Doris Kearns Goodwin tells the story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable partnership during World War II. The book opens with the fall of France in May 1940, a moment of crisis that deeply affected Eleanor, who feared the war would overshadow the New Deal's domestic progress. Despite wanting to help in Europe's relief efforts, Eleanor's anxieties about war and her own perceived inadequacies led to a period of depression. This depression, stemming from childhood losses and insecurities, would gradually lift as she found new purpose in advocating for refugees, particularly children, and taking on an assistant directorship with the Office of Civilian Defense.

As war loomed, Franklin faced the daunting task of mobilizing a nation still mired in the Great Depression. He formed the National Defense Advisory Commission (NDAC), an alliance of businessmen and New Dealers, to oversee production. While Franklin masterfully navigated political and diplomatic challenges, including securing fifty destroyers from Great Britain and the passage of a selective-service bill, Eleanor grappled with her role in a world at war. She found solace in her work with refugees and her friendship with Joe Lash, a young activist.

With the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the war became a defining force in American life. While Franklin led the nation through the initial shock and mobilized the country for war production, Eleanor confronted prejudice and discrimination on the home front, advocating for Japanese Americans and African Americans facing injustice. Despite personal losses, including the death of her mother-in-law, Sara, and her brother, Hall, Eleanor threw herself into her work, tirelessly visiting factories and military bases to support the war effort and address social inequities.

As the war progressed, both Franklin and Eleanor faced increasing personal and political challenges. Eleanor's outspokenness on social issues, including race relations, brought both admiration and criticism. She undertook a groundbreaking trip to England and the South Pacific, visiting troops and advocating for better conditions for women and minorities in the war effort. Meanwhile, Franklin, beset by health problems, grappled with complex military and diplomatic decisions, including the Morgenthau Plan and planning for the postwar world.

In the final months of the war, Franklin's health deteriorated rapidly, but he continued to lead the nation through critical moments, including the Yalta Conference. Eleanor, increasingly concerned about his physical decline, struggled with her own feelings of loss and uncertainty. After Franklin's death in April 1945, Eleanor found new purpose in her work with the United Nations and her continued advocacy for social justice, leaving behind a legacy of activism that transformed the role of first lady and shaped the course of American history.