America First

“[O]ne of the most relevant books to read for this year’s presidential campaign… . [H]is straightforward history is an important guide for understanding the legacy of the movement that Lindbergh led.” — AP News“An immersive account of America’s fierce debate about joining World War II … [Brands] makes several authorial choices that render his account distinctive.” — The Washington Post “America First is an insightful and worthy addition to the growing body of literature on the heated battle over American involvement in World War II … In an era more susceptible than ever to cults of personality elevating the foolish and the dangerous, America First recounts a cautionary tale well worth knowing.” — New York Journal of Books“A fine account of one of the most famous opponents to America’s entrance into World War II…Another winner from Brands.”—Kirkus Reviews starred review“Brands puts both his strong narrative sense and engaging prose style to good use. The story deftly moves back and forth between the perspectives of the two men, giving room to fully convey the arguments each made as the debate followed events on the ground. Brands’ conclusion about foreign policy puts the debate in a broader context, relevant to Americans today.”—Booklist“Brands’s elegant account of the political faceoff between Franklin Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh could not be more timely. This book sheds fascinating new light on Roosevelt’s battle against the tenacious efforts of the America First movement to keep the United States far away from World War II. In so doing, it provides critical historical insight into the heated debate currently building between internationalists and today’s America First isolationists.“—Charles A. Kupchan, Georgetown University and Council on Foreign Relations, author of Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World”America First is a gripping historical tale of how two towering figures, Charles Lindbergh and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, debated the wisdom of America entering World War II. The narrative echoes, and should inform, today’s debate America’s role in the world, as today’s proponents of ‘America First’ seek to undo what FDR accomplished: Placing America at the center for the world stage.“—Ivo Daalder, Chicago Council on Global Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO

H. W. BRANDS holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written more than a dozen biographies and histories, including The General vs. the President, a New York Times bestseller, and Founding Partisans, his most recent book. Two of his biographies, The First American and Traitor to His Class, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.