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Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Looking Forward Paperback – January 13, 2009

by Franklin D. Roosevelt (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Published in March 1933 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was first inaugurated, the classic New York Times bestseller Looking Forward delivers F.D.R.'s honest appraisal of the events that contributed to the Great Depression and mirror our own situation today. With blunt, unflinching, and clear prose Roosevelt attacks head-on the failure of the banking system and the U.S. government and sets forth his reasoning and hope for the major reforms of his New Deal. Compiled from F.D.R.'s articles and speeches, Looking Forward includes chapters such as "Reappraisal of Values," "Need for Economic Planning," "Reorganization of Government," "Expenditure and Taxation," "The Power Issue," "Banking and Speculation," and "National and International Unity" in which Roosevelt argues for the reassessments and reforms that are needed again in American society and throughout the world today. An inspiring beacon from the past, Looking Forward sheds critical light on today's turbulent world.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
  4. Publication date
    January 13, 2009
  5. ISBN-10
    1615525955
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1615525959
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group (January 13, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1615525955
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1615525959
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ron Brajkovich
5.0 out of 5 stars If Americans had only been taught about the covert battle ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
If Americans had only been taught about the covert battle that has been ragging in the USA since before the grandparents were born. Things would be different.
One person found this helpful
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John12
3.0 out of 5 stars Rated somewhat higher than I would have
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2019
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This book was published cheaply in 1933, the fourth printing in it's first year. It was poor quality when it left the publisher and would not last long in any case. I would have rated b-. It's hard to quality judge a book which is not a higher class when new.
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BrooklynAZ
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST Read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
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A MUST Read!
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D M
5.0 out of 5 stars Clean Brand New Looking Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2014
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Purchased this book for my teen son as a gift and he could not put it down. He thought it was brand new!
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*Hobby*
4.0 out of 5 stars Shows What Little Progress We Have Made
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013
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The book is interesting reading but discouraging in the fact we haven't really made much progress in the last 80 years. Some of the analysis of the causes of the great depression show close similarities with our recent major recession such as unwarranted euphoria, speculating with other's money and financing of things we could not pay for in the long run. Too bad the politicians and profiteers wouldn't pay attention to this wisdom. From the looks of things, we are still headed for trouble and the public is still not being protected from the corrupt and criminal out only for a quick profit.
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Mark Barnes
5.0 out of 5 stars An eerie similarity to current predicament
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2009
History doesn't repeat itself, but it does Rhyme. (Quote generally attributed to Mark Twain). This book is an easy to read collection of writings and speeches given by FDR around 1933 coming out of the great depression (the other one) and before another great war (yes, another one of those too). The similarities to today's events are uncanny as are the rhetoric of the politician that never seems to change. For all the honest and frank talk of our country's founders, it seems that society, in particular OUR society, is destined to put the blinders on and once again shirk our constitutional responsibilities as the watchdogs of our government and its practices. As long as we have our iPods and can connect to the internet, we can assume that everything is working correctly. In Roosevelt's day, those people had the electronic ticker tapes and assumed that all would continue on a never ending ride to riches without the actual responsibility of building something or working on something themselves. It doesn't matter whether you are Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or anything else, all will find something to think about in this hard to put down read.
3 people found this helpful
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Heather
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book! A must have!
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2009
I absolutely loved this book and it is a surprisingly quick but informative read. It is a compilation of subjects that Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote upon that focused on government and economy during the beginning of the Great Depression. This is a great read because it allows readers to get inside the head of one of our most influential presidents. They get to read what he thought in his own words.

This book is not just about the past. It is relevant today because of the deep recession that America and some parts of the world are in. I would recommend this to everyone but especially to people who are particularly interested in Franklin D. Roosevelt and what his opinions really were on various aspects of government and economy.
4 people found this helpful
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Kenneth M. Sarocky
2.0 out of 5 stars Broken Remedy
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2013
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The book has value as an explanation of FDR's historic failure to end the Depression, in spite of years of misguided economic tinkering. It's full of quaint notions like "Production For Use" and other code words for the benevolent command economy he tried to create. The naivete of the author is not surprising for a politician of the Brahmin class, someone with no real connection to industry, farming, or anything else that sustains a modern economy. While he was full of genuine sympathy for the suffering Depression-era masses, FDR was a near-total failure in alleviating it, long term. His greatness as a president consists in his leadership through WWII, and without diminishing that, it has to be said that his Depression record is a black hole of failure.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
永遠のチャレンジャー
5.0 out of 5 stars 相互扶助（Interdependence）の精神で前向き（Looking Forward）に
Reviewed in Japan on April 1, 2009
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ニューディール政策を掲げた第３２代大統領Franklin Delano Roosevelt（ＦＤＲ）の半生を描いた本書(“Looking Forward”)を読んでも、２１世紀の経済不況を乗り切るための＜処方箋＞を得ることは難しく、落胆するかも知れない。安直なマニュアル本やハウツー本ではないので、その期待は半ば叶えられ、半ば裏切られる。

ニューヨーク州知事という行政責任者を経験したＦＤＲの関心領域の広さに、まずは驚かされる。詳細な統計数値や割合比率を示して政府運営費用の増大傾向や関税制度の欠点を指摘する記述は、極めて真っ当な社会見識、歴史認識、財政知識に基づいており、具有する天稟、豊かな洞察力が窺える。

保護観察(probation)と仮出獄(parole)の違いに言及し犯罪処罰制度など行政上の問題点を解説するくだりは、少し廻りくどい嫌いがあるにせよ、具体的かつ説得力に富み、まるで大学教授による講義録のようだ。

喫緊の課題とされる失業者対策では、周到な計画(careful planning)、実施時間の短縮化(shorter hours)、事実掌握の徹底(more complete facts)、公共土木事業(public works)などの施策を並べ立てるものの、他の斟酌材料と併せて失業の軽減は図れても、根絶はできないと冷静かつ正直だ。

その一方でＦＤＲは、「行政は公共事業者に対し、私益より公益を優先させるべきだ」とする英国流コモン・ローの支柱となる考え方を導き出した大法官ホール卿の事跡に触れ、政府は国民に隠し事をせず、嘘をつかず、虚偽の情報提供をしてはならぬとの自らの政治信念を吐露している。政治家としてのこれは自戒でもあったろうか…。

予見不可能な生活様式の変化に抗する手段は「保険」制度しかなく、今こそ労災補償制度とともに「失業者保険給付」を始める時だと断ずる傍ら、大物投資家の電力王サミュエル・インスルが犯した経営不正を糾弾したＦＤＲは、水力発電「資源」は国民に帰属するから、自分が大統領職にある限り政府が「施設保有権」や「水利管理権」を手放す（民間に売り渡す）ことはないと大見得を切る。

本書が出版刊行後八十年近く経っても色褪せないのは、良質の公共サービスを安価にを標榜し（’good service and low rates’)、適正利潤のみを公共事業者に認める（’reasonable profit only’)、民主的理想主義者としての姿勢を貫いたＦＤＲの＜魅惑の横顔＞が随所に垣間見られるからに違いない。
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