Smithsonian Books Releases "The Simple Faith of Franklin Delano Roosevelt"

New Look at Presidential History Available Oct. 10
October 10, 2017
News Release
Social Media Share Tools
Book cover

Smithsonian Books is releasing The Simple Faith of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by journalist Christine Wicker Oct. 10. The book examines how President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s faith shaped his policies and presidency. Wicker demonstrates that Roosevelt’s religious faith gave rise to his passion for equality, justice and mercy and helped rescue America during two of its most desperate crises: the Great Depression and World War II. His faith was the bedrock of the New Deal, one of the most comprehensive government-led social reform movements in U.S. history.

Known as a president who cared greatly about the American people, Roosevelt looked to further his vision by strengthening the government’s role in the economy. Through the Social Security Act (which included employment insurance), labor regulations ensuring safer work conditions, a national minimum-wage law, restrictions on child labor, the G.I. Bill, the Rural Electrification Act and the establishment of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Roosevelt made the federal government into a powerful instrument for social justice and equality and fundamentally transformed its function in the lives of Americans.

Wicker’s account offers a nuanced portrait of a complex historical figure and presents a new way to understand this pivotal period of American history.

About the Author

Wicker is a former longtime religion reporter for the Dallas Morning News. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous books, most recently The Fall of the Evangelical Nation.

About the Book

Title: The Simple Faith of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Religion’s Role in the FDR Presidency
Author: Christine Wicker
On-Sale Date: 10/10/17
Price: $24.95 / Pages: 232
ISBN: 978-1-58834-524-0
Smithsonian Books

# # #

SI-578-2017