Audiobooks by David L. Roll

Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World

The fascinating story behind the most consequential presidential transition in US history, from Franklin Roosevelt to Harry Truman, and the legacy Truman struggled to overcome to lead America into a new, post-war world In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt selected as his next running mate a hardworking, uncontroversial senator from Missouri named Harry Truman. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died, and Truman, after only 82 days as vice president, was thrust into the presidency, a turning point that generations of historians have inexplicably addressed as shocking. Yet Roosevelt's failing health had been plain to staffers for at least a year. With the end of his life looming, FDR met alone only twice with his vice president, and failed to brief him on domestic issues or foreign affairs, most notably his intentions for ending World War II, including the existence of the atomic bomb program. It was, as author David L. Roll contends, one of the most irresponsible oversights in presidential history. As president, Truman was woefully unprepared. He immediately faced the surrender of Germany, a continent in ruins, and the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. Most significantly, the Soviet Union, an ally during the war, was growing increasingly hostile towards US power. Truman inherited FDR's hope that peace could be maintained through cooperation with the Soviets, but he would soon learn that imitating his predecessor would lead only to missteps and controversy. Spanning the years of transition, 1944 to 1948, Ascent to Power explores Roosevelt's post-war illusions, and the very real challenges faced by Truman as a supposed "accidental president," including the revival of Western Europe, the reform of Japan, and the hotly-debated birth of Israel. Detailing the long shadow cast by FDR, this remarkable book reveals Truman's struggle to emerge as a president in his own right, and how the decisions made during these years of transition changed the world.

David L. Roll (Author), Mark Bramhall, TBD (Narrator)

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George Marshall: Defender of the Republic

The extraordinary career of George Catlett Marshall-America's most distinguished soldier-statesman since George Washington-whose selfless leadership and moral character influenced the course of two world wars and helped define the American century.   "Enthralling."-Andrew Roberts • "Important."-William I. Hitchcock • "Majestic."-Susan Page • "Engrossing."-Andrew J. Bacevich • "Judicious."-Walter Isaacson • "Definitive."-Kirkus  Winston Churchill called him World War II's 'organizer of victory.' Harry Truman said he was 'the greatest military man that this country ever produced.' Today, in our era of failed leadership, few lives are more worthy of renewed examination than Marshall and his fifty years of loyal service to the defense of his nation and its values.  Even as a young officer he was heralded as a genius, a reputation that grew when in WWI he planned and executed a nighttime movement of more than a half million troops from one battlefield to another that led to the armistice. Between the wars he helped modernize combat training, and re-staffed the U.S. Army's officer corps with the men who would lead in the next decades. But as WWII loomed, it was the role of army chief of staff in which Marshall's intellect and backbone were put to the test, when his blind commitment to duty would run up against the realities of Washington politics. Long seen as a stoic, almost statuesque figure, he emerges in these pages as a man both remarkable and deeply human, thanks to newly discovered sources. Set against the backdrop of five major conflicts-two world wars, Palestine, Korea, and the Cold War-Marshall's education in military, diplomatic, and political power, replete with their nuances and ambiguities, runs parallel with America's emergence as a global superpower. The result is a defining account of one of our most consequential leaders.

David L. Roll (Author), Mark Bramhall (Narrator)

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