Westfall Politics & History Series Presents Acclaimed Historian H.W. Brands

St. Louis County Library Foundation’s Westfall Politics and History Series and Left Bank Books are pleased to host historian award-winning historian H.W. Brands, author of “America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of the War.”

The event will take place on Sunday, September 22, 4:00 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis MO 63131.

Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands narrates the fierce debate over America’s role in the world in the runup to World War II through its two most important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who advocated intervention, and his isolationist nemesis, aviator and popular hero Charles Lindbergh.

Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 launched a momentous period of decision-making for the United States. With fascism rampant abroad, should America take responsibility for its defeat?

For popular hero Charles Lindbergh, saying no to another world war only twenty years after the first was the obvious answer. Lindbergh had become famous and adored around the world after his historic first flight over the Atlantic in 1927. In the years since, he had emerged as a vocal critic of American involvement overseas, rallying Americans against foreign war as the leading spokesman the America First Committee. 

While Hitler advanced across Europe and threatened the British Isles, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt struggled to turn the tide of public opinion. With great effort, political shrewdness and outright deception, FDR readied the country for war. He pushed the US onto the world stage where it has stayed ever since.

In this gripping narrative, H.W. Brands sheds light on a crucial tipping point in American history and depicts the making of a legendary president.

H. W. Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for “The First American” and “Traitor to His Class.”

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.