Reviews
Advance praise for Joe Persico's Roosevelt's Centurions "When I was a boy growing up in the South Bronx, my heroes were Roosevelt's centurions. As a soldier for thirty-five years, I made them my mentors and models. These men were heroes. They were fallible and occasionally vain, but we were certainly blessed to have such Americans leading the Greatest Generation during the world's greatest conflict. Of course, the greatest centurion of them all was FDR himself, who knew how to lead his commanders, stroke their egos, and get the best from them, yet never left any doubt as to who was commander in chief. Joe Persico, my valued collaborator on my memoirs, has brought his formidable talents to bear to bring the centurions to life. He is at the top of his game in this defining classic." -Colin L. Powell, General, U.S. Army (Retired) "Joseph E. Persico has done it again! Roosevelt's Centurions is a riveting, analytic recounting of FDR as top World War II strategist. Nobody before has written on Roosevelt as talent scout with the brilliant insight of Persico. I found Persico's elucidation of the FDR-George Marshall relationship marvelous. A grand book for the ages!" -Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite "Benefiting from his years of studying Franklin Roosevelt and his times, Joseph Persico has brought us a briskly paced story with much wisdom and new insights on FDR, his military liege men, World War II, and political and military leadership." -Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 17891989 "With rigorous research, a fine eye for detail, and an entertaining ability to recount history, Joe Perisco deftly portrays the men behind the man, in addition to skillfully presenting the star himself, FDR, as recruiter in chief. A must-read for Americans concerned about war leadership then and now." -Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World "To a remarkable degree, we inhabit a world originated by Franklin D. Roosevelt-on World War II battlefields; in the gilded halls of diplomacy; above all, inside FDR's fertile, inscrutable imagination. Joe Persico brings all this to life with stunning originality, insight, and narrative drive. Familiar names-Marshall, Patton, Eisenhower, Churchill-are here rescued from caricature. So are the strategic and political decisions that inform today's debate over civil liberties in wartime. The last word on Roosevelt's war, it's safe to say, will never be written. But it's hard to imagine anyone writing any better words than these." -Richard Norton Smith, author of The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick 18801955 "[Persico] is a polished storyteller and offers new insight into the tumultuous years of Roosevelt's last two terms." -The Denver Post, Advance praise for Joe Persico's Roosevelt's Centurions "I was a kid when World War II broke out and my pals found it great that I shared the name of the war's first hero, Colin Kelly. Also, in those days, a photo of President Roosevelt hung in our home. And so the war and our commander in chief were part of my growing up. Later, when I began my own military career, FDR's commanders became my heroes and guides. Now, Joe Persico has written the best account of those times and those leaders that I've read so far. I felt as if I were there." -Colin L. Powell "Joseph E. Persico has done it again! Roosevelt's Centurions is a riveting, analytic recounting of FDR as top World War II strategist. Nobody before has written on Roosevelt as talent scout with the brilliant insight of Persico. I found Persico's elucidation of the FDR-George Marshall relationship marvelous. A grand book for the ages!" -Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite "Benefiting from his years of studying Franklin Roosevelt and his times, Joseph Persico has brought us a briskly paced story with much wisdom and new insights on FDR, his military liege men, World War II, and political and military leadership." -Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 17891989 "With rigorous research, a fine eye for detail, and an entertaining ability to recount history, Joe Perisco deftly portrays the men behind the man, in addition to skillfully presenting the star himself, FDR, as recruiter in chief. A must-read for Americans concerned about war leadership then and now." -Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World "To a remarkable degree, we inhabit a world originated by Franklin D. Roosevelt-on World War II battlefields; in the gilded halls of diplomacy; above all, inside FDR's fertile, inscrutable imagination. Joe Persico brings all this to life with stunning originality, insight, and narrative drive. Familiar names-Marshall, Patton, Eisenhower, Churchill-are here rescued from caricature. So are the strategic and political decisions that inform today's debate over civil liberties in wartime. The last word on Roosevelt's war, it's safe to say, will never be written. But it's hard to imagine anyone writing any better words than these." -Richard Norton Smith, author of The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick 18801955 "[Persico] is a polished storyteller and offers new insight into the tumultuous years of Roosevelt's last two terms." -The Denver Post, Advance praise for Joe Persico's Roosevelt's Centurions "[A] sweeping, top-down account of 193945 from the point of view of FDR, his cabinet and his leading generals and admirals. . . . Long wars demand long books, but these are 550 pages of lively prose by a good writer who knows his subject." - Kirkus Reviews "When I was a boy growing up in the South Bronx, my heroes were Roosevelt's centurions. As a soldier for thirty-five years, I made them my mentors and models. These men were heroes. They were fallible and occasionally vain, but we were certainly blessed to have such Americans leading the Greatest Generation during the world's greatest conflict. Of course, the greatest centurion of them all was FDR himself, who knew how to lead his commanders, stroke their egos, and get the best from them, yet never left any doubt as to who was commander in chief. Joe Persico, my valued collaborator on my memoirs, has brought his formidable talents to bear to bring the centurions to life. He is at the top of his game in this defining classic." -Colin L. Powell, General, U.S. Army (Retired) "Joseph E. Persico has done it again! Roosevelt's Centurions is a riveting, analytic recounting of FDR as top World War II strategist. Nobody before has written on Roosevelt as talent scout with the brilliant insight of Persico. I found Persico's elucidation of the FDR-George Marshall relationship marvelous. A grand book for the ages!" -Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite "Benefiting from his years of studying Franklin Roosevelt and his times, Joseph Persico has brought us a briskly paced story with much wisdom and new insights on FDR, his military liege men, World War II, and political and military leadership." -Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 17891989 "With rigorous research, a fine eye for detail, and an entertaining ability to recount history, Joe Perisco deftly portrays the men behind the man, in addition to skillfully presenting the star himself, FDR, as recruiter in chief. A must-read for Americans concerned about war leadership then and now." -Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World "To a remarkable degree, we inhabit a world originated by Franklin D. Roosevelt-on World War II battlefields; in the gilded halls of diplomacy; above all, inside FDR's fertile, inscrutable imagination. Joe Persico brings all this to life with stunning originality, insight, and narrative drive. Familiar names-Marshall, Patton, Eisenhower, Churchill-are here rescued from caricature. So are the strategic and political decisions that inform today's debate over civil liberties in wartime. The last word on Roosevelt's war, it's safe to say, will never be written. But it's hard to imagine anyone writing any better words than these." -Richard Norton Smith, author of The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick 18801955 "[Persico] is a polished storyteller and offers new insight into the tumultuous years of Roosevelt's last two terms." -The Denver Post From the Hardcover edition., "When I was a boy growing up in the South Bronx, my heroes were Roosevelt's centurions. As a soldier for thirty-five years, I made them my mentors and models. These men were heroes. They were fallible and occasionally vain, but we were certainly blessed to have such Americans leading the Greatest Generation during the world's greatest conflict. Of course, the greatest centurion of them all was FDR himself, who knew how to lead his commanders, stroke their egos, and get the best from them, yet never left any doubt as to who was commander in chief. Joe Persico, my valued collaborator on my memoirs, has brought his formidable talents to bear to bring the centurions to life. He is at the top of his game in this defining classic." --Colin L. Powell, General, U.S. Army (Retired) "Benefiting from his years of studying Franklin Roosevelt and his times, Joseph Persico has brought us a briskly paced story with much wisdom and new insights on FDR, his military liege men, World War II, and political and military leadership." --Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989 "Long wars demand long books, but these are 550 pages of lively prose by a good writer who knows his subject. . . . A fine, straightforward politics-and-great-men history." --Kirkus Reviews "Persico makes a persuasive case that FDR was clearly in charge of the most important decisions of the American war plan." --The Washington Times "Joseph E. Persico has done it again! Roosevelt's Centurions is a riveting, analytic recounting of FDR as top World War II strategist. Nobody before has written on Roosevelt as talent scout with the brilliant insight of Persico. I found Persico's elucidation of the FDR--George Marshall relationship marvelous. A grand book for the ages!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite "With rigorous research, a fine eye for detail, and an entertaining ability to recount history, Joe Perisco deftly portrays the men behind the man, in addition to skillfully presenting the star himself, FDR, as recruiter in chief. A must-read for Americans concerned about war leadership then and now." --Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World "To a remarkable degree, we inhabit a world originated by Franklin D. Roosevelt--on World War II battlefields; in the gilded halls of diplomacy; above all, inside FDR's fertile, inscrutable imagination. Joe Persico brings all this to life with stunning originality, insight, and narrative drive. Familiar names--Marshall, Patton, Eisenhower, Churchill--are here rescued from caricature. So are the strategic and political decisions that inform today's debate over civil liberties in wartime. The last word on Roosevelt's war, it's safe to say, will never be written. But it's hard to imagine anyone writing any better words than these." --Richard Norton Smith, author of The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick 1880-1955 "[Persico] is a polished storyteller and offers new insight into the tumultuous years of Roosevelt's last two terms." --The Denver Post, Praise for Roosevelt's Secret War, a New York Times Notable Book "Explores-with judicious historical zest and a fine eye for detail-the hallucinatory world of snooping, concealments, betrayals and confidence games played for world-history stakes."- Time "A well-paced and memorable account . . . Persico obviously admires his subject. This entertaining and thoughtful book shows there was much to admire." -The New York Times "Surprises abound. . . . A worthwhile addition to the bulging bookshelves of World War II." -The Philadelphia Inquirer "[Persico] is a polished storyteller and offers new insight into the tumultuous years of Roosevelt's last two terms." -The Denver Post
