Author Series | H. W. Brands | America First

Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands returns to the Hudson Library & Historical Society to discuss his latest book, America First, exploring the thefierce debate over America’s role in the world during the lead-up to World War II through the eyes of its two most important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and aviator and popular hero Charles Lindbergh. Kirkus Reviews opines, “A fine account of one of the most famous opponents to America’s entrance into World War II…Another winner from Brands.”

Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 launched a momentous period of decision-making for the United States. With fascism rampant abroad, should America take responsibility for its defeat? For popular hero Charles Lindbergh, saying no to another world war only twenty years after the first was the obvious answer. Lindbergh had become famous and adored around the world after his historic first flight over the Atlantic in 1927. In the years since, he had emerged as a vocal critic of American involvement overseas, rallying Americans against foreign war as the leading spokesman the America First Committee. While Hitler advanced across Europe and threatened the British Isles, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt struggled to turn the tide of public opinion. With great effort, political shrewdness and outright deception—aided by secret British disinformation efforts in America—FDR readied the country for war. He pushed the US onto the world stage where it has stayed ever since. In this gripping narrative, H.W. Brands sheds light on a crucial tipping point in American history and depicts the making of a legendary president.

H.W. Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for The First American and Traitor to His Class.