On the morning of January 29, 1946, Harry Hopkins died. In his fifty-five years he had held only one major political office. He was the eighth Secretory of Commerce. In the fine book by David Roll, The Hopkins Touch, his true stature is described in detail.

Mr. Roll outlines in detail the rise of Harry Hopkins from a relief coordinator in New York to a major architect of the New Deal and a close friend of FDR and Churchill. He even earned a measure of trust and respect from Joseph Stalin. There was not a major conference or meeting during the war that Hopkins did not attend. There were also very few decisions made that did not have the quite input of Harry Hopkins.

I have read a good number of books dealing with the period from the great depression through WWII. However, this is the first volume I have seen that outlined in detail just how the work was done on the home front and in the diplomatic arena. I was also unaware of what a major player Hopkins was in these events.

The story of the man that Churchill called “Lord Root of the Matter” is a gripping powerful read. It is well footnoted and drawn from source documents. Perhaps more importantly, beyond its qualifications as solid history, it is a damn fine read. I recommend it to any and all.