Book Review; The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope

Even though I was not alive in 1933, I am sure that the US was in a similar position. With a highly disliked President getting ready to leave office, and an incoming President facing an extremely burdensome task as Obama is facing now [and Roosevelt was facing then] with the troubled economy, I am sure that the feelings shared by the nations citizens were the same. And at the risk of being a naysayer, I will go ahead and claim that that the economic problems faced now are not too different from the ones faced during the Great Depression. With unemployment at a 16 year high, housing market in extreme peril, the Big Three car companies begging for Bailouts, and the Recession that we have been in for over a year, it is safe to say that the US is in trouble.
And so this reminded me of FDR and his first 100 days. I was very eager to revisit my knowledge on the topic, so I went ahead and started looking for books that can help me remember what exactly went down in the first 100 days. And so after a bit of Googling, I found the following book; The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope .
A well written book by Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter, it differs from other Franklin D Roosevelt biographies because this book focuses solely on the economic crisis, and how those first 100 days were used to start the slow path towards re-fixing the US Economy. The graphic descriptions within the book, and the relevance with today's Economic crisis makes it a very interesting read.

Reviews by other Authors;

"Jonathan Alter's The Defining Moment is an extraordinarily vivid account of a remarkable moment in American history. It is also a rich and perceptive examination of how Franklin Roosevelt transformed the presidency. This book should be of interest to everyone who cares about the New Deal, and also to everyone who wants to understand the character of American politics."

—Alan Brinkley, author of The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War

"The Defining Moment is a riveting account of the first hundred days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. Alter bewitches readers in this fast-moving story, often poignant, sometimes funny, of how Roosevelt changed the direction of American history."

—David Herbert Donald, author of Lincoln