{"product_id":"the-arsenal-of-democracy-fdr-detroit-and-an-epic-quest-to-arm-an-america-at-war-isbn-9780544483873","title":"The Arsenal Of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER. The story of the dramatic transformation of Detroit from \"motortown\" to the \"arsenal of democracy,\" featuring Edsel Ford, who rebelled against his pacifist father, Henry Ford, to build a manufacturing complex that was crucial to winning WWII.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the United States entered World War II, the military was in desperate need of tanks, jeeps, and, most important, airplanes. Germany had been amassing weaponry and airplanes for five years—the United States for only months. So President Roosevelt turned to the American auto industry, specifically the Ford Motor Company, where Edsel Ford made the outrageous claim that he would construct the largest airplane factory in the world, a plant that could build a “bomber an hour.” And so began one of the most fascinating and overlooked chapters in American industrial history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on unique access to archival material and exhaustive research, A. J. Baime has crafted a riveting work of narrative nonfiction that hopscotches from Detroit to Washington to Normandy, from the assembly lines to the frontlines, and from the depths of professional and personal failure to the heights that Ford Motor Company and the American military ultimately achieved in the sky.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A touching and absorbing portrait of one of the forgotten heroes of World War II . . . A. J. Baime has given us a memorable portrait not just of an industry going to war but of a remarkable figure who helped to make victory possible.” — \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Fast-paced . . . the story certainly entertains.” — \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis riveting narrative brings to life the high-stakes race to arm a nation and the untold story of the family at the center of it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Father-Son Conflict:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore the intense clash between pacifist Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, who risked everything to support the war effort against his father’s will.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eIndustrial Innovation:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness the monumental undertaking of building the world’s largest factory and the race to fulfill the outrageous promise of producing one bomber every hour.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Home Front at War:\u003c\/b\u003e Go behind the scenes of the dramatic transformation of Detroit into the “arsenal of democracy” that was crucial to Allied victory.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAmerican Ingenuity:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover an overlooked chapter of US history where the American auto industry was retooled to become the decisive weapon of the war.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"A.J. Baime’s prose is an amazing magic lantern shining through the flawed, frustrating and mesmerizing lives of an epic cast of characters; FDR; the anti-semitic Henry Ford; his gargoyle of a henchman Harry Bennett; the workers who would become America’s middle class; and, as well, Henry’s tragic son, Edsel, who lost his health and, ultimately, his life, trying to make good on his promise to deliver a \"bomber an hour\" during WWII. This is captivating history told at its most intimate level of detail; at the same time, Baime’s scope is grand and humane, even when he is bringing to life the most inhumane of people or moments. An engrossing, highly researched page-turner.\"  —\u003cstrong\u003eDoug Stanton, author of\u003cem\u003e In Harm’s Way \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eHorse Soldiers \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \"When you talk the history of Detroit, it's usually the stuff about beavers, the Model T, the '57 Chevy, the '67 riots and bankruptcy. But what A.J. Baime has done with a precise and entertaining pen is resurrect Detroit's most important era - WWII - and the obscure and tortured man who may have saved the world.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Charlie LeDuff, author of \u003cem\u003eDetroit: An American Autopsy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e   \"Wars are fought on many fronts, and A.J. Baime chronicles this little known, but terrifically important battle to build America's bomber force with narrative zest and delicious detail. Put simply, it's a great read.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Neal Bascomb, bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eHunting Eichmann\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Perfect Mile \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e   \"Fast-moving and rich with detail, Baime's book shows how the Fords worked a World War II miracle with rivets and steel. Engrossing.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Stephan Talty, author of \u003cem\u003eAgent Garbo\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEmpire of Blue Water \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \"A.J. Baime has a great way of telling a story. We didn't just win World War II because we had the best soldiers.We did it because we could build airplanes literally faster than the Germans could shoot them down. An exciting read.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Jay Leno \u003c\/strong\u003e  “[Edsel Ford] has deserved a better legacy, and A.J. Baime has given it to him . . . The \u003cem\u003eArsenal of Democracy\u003c\/em\u003e  is a touching and absorbing portrait of one of the forgotten heroes of World War II . . . A.J. Baime has given us a memorable portrait not just of an industry going to war but of a remarkable figure who helped to make victory possible.” \u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003eWa\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ell Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \"Accessible, surprising history\u003cem\u003e . . . \u003c\/em\u003eForthright and absorbing.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—P\u003cem\u003eublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e   \"A.J. Baime has a gift for taking stories about cars and turning them into epic tales of man and his machine versus other man and his machine… \u003cem\u003eThe Arsenal of Democracy\u003c\/em\u003e shows how capitalism and the American spirit really won WWII. You’ll never look at Detroit or our flag the same again.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003eInked\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890049282277,"sku":"NP9780544483873","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780544483873.jpg?v=1730232445","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-arsenal-of-democracy-fdr-detroit-and-an-epic-quest-to-arm-an-america-at-war-isbn-9780544483873","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}