The Arsenal of Democracy - by A J Baime (Paperback)

About the Book

NEW YORK TIMES 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.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES 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.

As 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.

Drawing 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.

"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." -- Wall Street Journal

"Fast-paced . . . the story certainly entertains." -- New York Times

This 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.

• A Father-Son Conflict: 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.
• Industrial Innovation: 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.
• The Home Front at War: Go behind the scenes of the dramatic transformation of Detroit into the "arsenal of democracy" that was crucial to Allied victory.
• American Ingenuity: Discover an overlooked chapter of US history where the American auto industry was retooled to become the decisive weapon of the war.

From the Back Cover

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. Wall Street Journal

As 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 history.

Drawing on unique access to archival material and exhaustive research, A. J. Baime has crafted a riveting narrative 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.

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. Neal Bascomb, best-selling author of The Perfect Mile

Fast-paced . . . the story certainly entertains. New York Times

[AU PHOTO] A. J. BAIME is the author of Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans as well as Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze. He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and has written for numerous other publications, including the New York Times, Playboy, Road & Track, and Popular Science."

Review Quotes

"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." --Doug Stanton, author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers "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." --Charlie LeDuff, author of Detroit: An American Autopsy "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." --Neal Bascomb, bestselling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile "Fast-moving and rich with detail, Baime's book shows how the Fords worked a World War II miracle with rivets and steel. Engrossing." --Stephan Talty, author of Agent Garbo and Empire of Blue Water "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." --Jay Leno "[Edsel Ford] has deserved a better legacy, and A.J. Baime has given it to him . . . The Arsenal of Democracy 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." --Wall Street Journal "Accessible, surprising history . . . Forthright and absorbing." --Publishers Weekly "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... The Arsenal of Democracy shows how capitalism and the American spirit really won WWII. You'll never look at Detroit or our flag the same again." --Inked

About the Author

A.J. BAIME is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of The Arsenal of Democracy (2014) and Go Like Hell (2009). Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in The New York Times, Popular Science, and Men's Journal. Visit A.J. at Facebook.com/ajbaime.