in Pageant is back. What makes this book different from Pageant is its emphasis on politics, especially the decision processes that Roosevelt and others made, and the reasons for their decisions and for not considering other options. The book also goes extremely far in depth, albeit on certain issues only. It covers the Wealth Tax, which was ignored in Pageant , in about a dozen pages, while devoting two paragraphs to the Indian Reorgani ...more This is classic Kennedy. The flowery language I loved in Pageant is back. What makes this book different from Pageant is its emphasis on politics, especially the decision processes that Roosevelt and others made, and the reasons for their decisions and for not considering other options. The book also goes extremely far in depth, albeit on certain issues only. It covers the Wealth Tax, which was ignored in Pageant , in about a dozen pages, while devoting two paragraphs to the Indian Reorganization Act, or Indian New Deal, which got several paragraphs in Pageant . Dr. Kennedy's treatment of the War is similar to his treatment of the Depression: heavy emphasis is placed on politicking, decision-making, and the personalities of political figures. His descriptions of battles and military campaigns are not great, with the notable exception of his depiction of the Battle of Midway, which is easily the best battle description I've read. I would recommend this to anyone interested in history. (less) Thud factor alone does not make a book great, as there are