Scott Martelle’s book 1932 about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a well-researched and informative history book about an important year in the history of the United States. The country was experiencing turmoil and instability with the Depression; stability and change was desperately needed. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well written, informative book about a volatile time in US history. If you love history, this book is for you!

"1932" is a fascinating look the events that lead to one of the most consequential periods of change in American history. The book focuses on the early years of the Depression, a time that brought a massive shift from a government purely focused on capitalism to a far different view of what role that government should play. The failures of the Hoover administration to deal with the seismic economic collapse of 1929 led the country to choose a more socially responsible, more benevelent and caretaking government. The programs and philosophies that would be created after the 1932 election of Franklin D. Roosevelt continue to reverberate today, not the least of which is the still somewhat controversial Social Security system. The events leading to this dynamic shift in the way Americans perceive the role of government included not just the country's inability to deal with the economy but its seemingly cold-hearted ignorance of the effect it was having on people from every walk of life.
The author finds parallels between Hoover and Donald Trump in his analysis. I found another parallel: the founding of the first year-round Democrat party interest group in 1928 brought about the first concerted effort to besmirch the foibles and failures of Hoover, the sitting president, much like the campaign against Trump after he took office.
Any reader who like similar "slice of time" histories, such as "One Summer America: 1927" by Bill Bryson or "The Perfect Summer" by Juliet Nicholson, is bound to enjoy "1932."

I was really excited when I first started this book but found myself reading slower and slower as the pages dragged on. While the element of storytelling was in there, the book just got muddled with too much of the wrong thing. I'm not sure if it was too dry? Perhaps a slightly different focus would have made it more interesting? Sadly, this book felt almost painful for me to finish.

Scott Martelle brings the turmoil and complexity of 1932 to life in this fascinating chronological work of historical nonfiction. Focusing on the political and economic situation in the United States in 1932, Martelle brings these crises in conversation with the modern political and economic state of the United States in the twenty-first century. Martelle includes some fascinating inserts into the books, from diary excerpts to radio broadcasts and news clippings which gives off the feeling that this is a book by the people of 1932 (rather than the intrusive authorial or historian opinion). Martelle’s analysis and organization of historical facts and documents allows readers to more easily reach his conclusions and understand the picture of 1932 that Martelle creates throughout the book. By focusing his efforts chronologically within 1932, readers can easily see the progression of events, crises, and elections as the year goes on. Martelle’s work on this particular year and his ability to bring history into conversation with modern events is also particularly well done, as this allows readers to understand the larger analytical historical point he seeks to establish. This is a great introduction to FDR’s presidency, the New Deal and Great Depression, and the larger entanglement of politics and the economy in the United States.

The Great Depression had been undermining American confidence for a couple of years and President Hoover was learning the hard way that his engineering approach to problems and communication was no longer playing well in the country. Veterans of the Great War were marching on Washington in a chaotic band of thousands known as the Bonus Expeditionary Force to protest reparations scheduled to be paid more than a decade in the future. A compelling Presidential candidate, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, distant cousin of former president Teddy Roosevelt, had some interesting ideas about how to pull the nation out of its economic and cultural funk. Meanwhile, in Europe, changes in Germany were heralding some very bad things on the horizon...

Author Scott Martelle has produced an intriguingly intertwined narrative of America in this pivotal year between the Great Depression and the beginnings of WWII by picking and choosing key events to track. The most eye-opening was the Bonus Expeditionary Force and how the gov't seemed to be complacent about agreeing to millions in back pay, but unwilling to pay any of it, even as the veterans were often the worst hit by the Depression.

The problem with "1932" is that there's no conclusion. No final chapter that wraps up some of the events and their consequences, no closure, even one that offered "two years later, this would be resolved" or "seventy-five years later, the grandchildren of veterans still await their full recompense". In fact, the early reader ebook I was sent literally just switches between paragraphs from a brief comment on Roosevelt's inaugural day to a first person commentary by the author without as much as a page break or new header. Disconcerting, to say the least. Adding a concluding paragraph would improve this otherwise quite interesting historical analysis of America in 1932. If I could wish for a bit more, perhaps occasional snippets about what was happening elsewhere in the world that year would have been nice too; outside of Germany, what about India? Africa? China and the Asian nations?

Scott Martelle, 1932 FDR, Hoover and the Dawn of a New America
Kensington Books, Citadel Nov 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Scott Martelle has chosen a format which quickly draws the reader into the year in which Americans chose their President, the Democratic Party’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt, over Herbert Hoover the Republican Party candidate. The complexity of the events of 1932, public and party, are fully explored so that a remarkable history is unfolded. An American history, a Democratic Party history, and a history of the Republican Party. To maintain a reader’s interest in these events, while writing such a thorough and dense account is a large ask. Martelle has accomplished this, perhaps because of the format, but also because his account of events is so deftly honed that their serious and complex nature becomes almost a story. This is the story of a year in America that introduced a new vision for an America reeling from the Depression. The courage of the political figures who wage their battles within their parties and in the public race for the presidency live alongside that of the groups who sought to determine the outcome, and the voters who chose a different economic plan for America.

There are some poignant events such as the veterans’ political action taking trains (or being denied the journey) to make their political points to candidates, and the work of agricultural communities to save farms and livelihoods. Other, more well-known stories are those associated with prohibition and the women’s groups varying viewpoints. Their arguments for and against prohibition make interesting reading as does the discussion about the likelihood that the vote for the president would be based on this issue – did Party affiliation or commitment override a moral issue? For many, it did. The black American vote was also complex, a diary reading demonstrating that Republican opposition to slavery remained an issue for some, whether a majority of black Americans were moving towards support for the Democratic Party. Other diary entries also make fascinating reading.

What continually stands out in this book is Martelle’s capacity for laying out the arguments in interest groups, the debates about leadership in the political parties and the ideas and issues that informed the voters. The complexity remains but is clarified under Marelle’s capable hand. However, the simple last citation, “Cabinet Sworn in at White house”, New York Times, March 5, 1933 is a fitting end to this story of fortitude on the part of both political adversaries, the use to which the population put their democratic vote, and the preparation of an era that gave a new aspect of economic policy gravitas.

This look at the pivotal year of 1932 is an interesting read that is done in a readable style. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who enjoy reading about American history, but with a caveat.

One gripe is that the author seemed to devote way too much time to seemingly minor details. Those minor details were interesting but dragged the book down a bit.

1932: FDR, Hoover and the Dawn of a New America by Scott Martelle is an interesting read. I give it four stars.

1932 is written by Scott Martelle. This was a pivotal year in the history of the United States. The USA went through turmoil, instability, natural disaster, bubbling political radicalism, and a rise of dangerous forces ushering in a new era of global conflict. The author did careful research to bring this year in our history to life. My grandmother was 12 in 1932 - and I will always remember her telling me about the banking crisis and ultimate collapse to the US emerging out of the Great Depression.

I appreciate the author's writing style. This is geared toward all readers especially those with a love of history. We see the difference in what President Hoover had in mind for America - to what FDR wanted to do to fix it. I enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

Sometimes one year represents more than just the passage of time. In the case of 1932, the nation had hit rock bottom. Farms were being foreclosed on. The middle class, who. never thought they would be faced with going without or being hungry found themselves in a state of collapse and panic. The old order, the one which stood for playing by the rules was being shoved aside, at least temporarily, by a new one. Citizens who never would have dreamed of breaking the law or calling for revolution found themselves leading strikes, stymying bank foreclosures and violently interfering with big business.

The US was a nation on a knife's edge and Martelle does a good job in capturing the atmosphere. Subjects like the farmer's strikes and the Bonus Army are often reviewed in a superficial way in histories of the era, but Martelle looks at these subjects closely and gives the reader a closer view of how desperate we really were.

Scott Martelle expertly weaves meticulous historical research with diary entries and newsreel stories to create a very thorough and well-rounded account of one of the most formative years in our country's history. 1932 is an excellent and entertaining read, a history book that reads like a novel.

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

A well researched and informative history book about an important year in the USA history as it's the year when the chosen president will start a program to fight Depression and to change the country.
I learned a lot and was impressed by the description of the Depression
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book is a comprehensive history of the year 1932 in America.

The year is critical - The Depression is at its worst, Herbert Hoover is an unpopular president, and FDR is an aspiring Democratic candidate for president.

Through this book, the reader really gets to understand the impact of the Depression, both in the major cities and the nation's heartland.

I found the book to be highly interesting and there are plenty of references for those who want to dig even deeper.

Sometimes you need to stick to what works. 1932 by Scott Martelle is a book where good writing cannot overcome excessive scope. Martelle is telling the story of Hoover vs. FDR and I am pretty sure we all know how that worked out. I found that Martelle's writing style is easy to follow and there are some great tidbits in here along with interesting side characters.

However, the problem is that side characters get way too much real estate in this book when compared to some of the other topics. For instance, we get about a chapter and a quarter on Fr. Cox who seems like someone I would like to know more about. However, he disappears for 95% of the book. The same with someone like Milo Reno. I also found some subjects could have been skipped altogether. There is way too much space taken up with Hoover and FDR's path to nomination. We know how it ends. The Bonus Army chapters are very interesting but then it feels like Martelle speeds through the Dust Bowl and racial unrest.

Ultimately, it felt like Martelle had a great list of ingredients, but got the proportions wrong.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Kensington Books.)

I found this to be a very interesting snapshot of a year that proved a pivotal turning point in American history. I think Martelle did a good job relaying the information and allowing the story to unfold. I think FDR is a complex figure in American History, but I enjoyed seeing him in campaign mode, rather than presented as president in this book. I think Hoover has been portrayed pretty one dimensionally by many historians, but seeing him trying to run on his record and keep his job adds to he depth.

Scott Martelle does a fantastic job in writing this, I thought this was well researched and I was engaged with the whole story. It had everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed the history elements.

This novel described the state of the Union in the United States of America win 1932 from labor movements to the economic crisis, prohibition to racism. It is describing the social, political, and economic environment of 1932 going into the 1933 election. In some of the chapters the narrative is very smoothy and in others the facts bog down the story too much. Overall it is a fine telling of a pivotal moment in American history.