Amazon.com

A beloved classic since its initial publication in 1947, this vivid, insightful journal is a fitting memorial to the gifted Jewish teenager who died at Bergen-Belsen, Germany, in 1945. Born in 1929, Anne Frank received a blank diary on her 13th birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Her marvelously detailed, engagingly personal entries chronicle 25 trying months of claustrophobic, quarrelsome intimacy with her parents, sister, a second family, and a middle-aged dentist who has little tolerance for Anne's vivacity. The diary's universal appeal stems from its riveting blend of the grubby particulars of life during wartime (scant, bad food; shabby, outgrown clothes that can't be replaced; constant fear of discovery) and candid discussion of emotions familiar to every adolescent (everyone criticizes me, no one sees my real nature, when will I be loved?). Yet Frank was no ordinary teen: the later entries reveal a sense of compassion and a spiritual depth remarkable in a girl barely 15. Her death epitomizes the madness of the Holocaust, but for the millions who meet Anne through her diary, it is also a very individual loss. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (436)

The Diary of Anne Frank was a wonderful book.
I read the book, "The Diary of Anne Frank." I thought that it was not only a wonderful book, but it was very real. It is the captivating story of a young girl, told to her diary about her life, growing up under sone of the strangest, and saddest conditions. It was written in Holland in the early 1940's, during the anti-semetic movements of the Nazi party. Is is told from the innocent eyes of a child, forced to go into hiding to escape Nazi persecution. She lives under close quarters, with seven other people. I felt, because the book was so real, that I actually knew the characters in the book. I found myself relating to ideas that Anne had and things that she said. I think that everyone should read this book because is is an insight into life, love, and hate. I believe that this is a great book and could be enjoyed by anyone.

Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl
The book that I just finished reading is called Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl written by Anne Frank herself. It is one of the best book that I have ever read. It tells you about the life of a teenage girl who is trying to survive the awful times of the Holocaust while in hiding. Along with her, there are seven other people living in this hiding place. She learns how to cooporate with other people and how to live while all cooped up. The story takes place in Amsterdam and the hiding place is called the "Secret Annexe". There are two people who get them their food and take care of them. The end of this book is so heart-wrenching that it is unbelieveable. I would definately give this book nine stars out of ten. This book is so informative that is really makes you realize how fortunate we really are these days. It explains everything so well that you can't even believe that something this horrible could ever even happen. This book has definately made me think completely different in a good way and I hope that it will do the same for you.

Franco's Fabulous Book Review
Anne Frank, a 13 year-old, strong-willed, and courageous girl, is living in the Secret Annex during WWII to escape the Nazi regime. Anne, along with her family and close friends, are hiding from the Nazis because they are of the Jewish faith. Anne falls in love with Peter, a 15 year-old boy who is living with her in the Secret Annex. They become very close as they spend time in the attic trying to escape Peter's annoying mother. The group living in the Secret Annex has to be extremely careful. If they make too much noise, they have a chance of being caught. If they are caught, they will most likely be sent to a concentration camp. Any loud noise or movement could cost the eight tenants of the Secret Annex to die.
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" is an amazing book. It lets you realize how lucky we are to live in the world we live in today. The struggles that Anne and the group go through to live a "normal" life are nothing like anyone in today's world would be forced to go through. It allows people interested in WWII to gain information as to what is was like to live during the war.
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" is a must read. It is ver informative, yet allows the reader to learn about WWII in an interesting way. So, if you like WWII and are interested in learning what it was like to live back then, this book is for you. It is also a good piece of historical fiction. Pick it up today!

Julie Francolino

A diary that truly depicted War...
I earnestly almost cried after reading this book.I was 13,the same age as Anne's when she started writing her diary,whom she called "kitty".

For those who have no idea who Anne Frank is,she is a Jewish girl and the youngest of two girls.Her father was successful businessman...and the family led a happy and wonderful life after settling down in the bustling city of Amsterdam,that was until Adolf Hitler started the Nazis.The Nazis was an anti-Jew operation,where they would capture Jewish men and tortured them.The women and young and old were not let off either,many were sent to concentration camps,where living conditions there were so bad,many died of diseases rather than the slow torturings.

It was at this time that Mr Frank decided to go into hiding with his family.With some of his kind-hearted co-workers,they managed to perfect a secret hideout.Anne,her mother and sister Margot began moving into the hideout,which was located just behind the office.Joining them were the Van Dans (not sure if spelling is right)who had a son named Peter and a doctor.Life was very tough,for living behind the office with barely a bookshelf as a wall means not making loud noises.No one must know of their existense,so all everybody could do is to crept round their area softly,tip-toeing and even speaking in hush-whistle.

For almost 2 years,that's the life of Anne.A growing teenager,she could not go out to the streets to watch a movie,play with her friends or even talk to boys,for that means getting caught by the Nazis.It was also round this time that Anne had one true friend where she can confide everything to:kitty,her diary.

In her diary,she wrote of how talkative she was in class(she went to school before the hiding),how she hates her mother when the latter compared her to her sister Margot,how she detested Mrs Van Dam...and her deepest thoughts on growing up in a secret hideout.She also shared about her crush on Peter,who also liked her.

Anne,as we could see,was a normal girl,someone who detested writing,someone who likes a boy and someone who wants to grow up being an author.Well,you could say she is one now,with her diary published after the war, which was later translated to more than 50 languages and sold millions worldwide...but the young girl,unlike her diary,did not survived through the war,for she was captured from her hideout one fine day.Mrs Frank,Margot,the doctor,the Van Dams and Anne herself,all died.All except for Mr Frank himself,who survived...

By the way, a little unknown fact about her Anne:her real name is Annelies Marie Frank.

Anne Frank:The Diary of a Young Girl
The epic Adventure of Anne Frank, born in Germany Anne Frank spent two years of her life in Astonishing Circumstances. Anne faces adventure when the Nazis where murdering Jews. Anne, Mummy, Daddy, Mrs. Van Daan, Mr. Van Daan, and Peter. All hid in a secret passage in an old warehouse in Amsterdam. Anne and her diary explains of the fear of being discovered by the Nazis. Yet within it, a tender love story slowly unfolds-from her shy avoidances with peter to incessant glances and first kiss! Thus her diary is not a lament but a song to life, no matter the circumstances, no matter what the threats.
Great book for all ages, and you can't beat the low price. ... Read more

Book Description

To tie in with the paperback publication of volume II of Blanche Wiesen Cook's acclaimed biography of Eleanor Roosevelt

"Mrs. Roosevelt's autobiography is above all the portrait of a person. The history it gives is history as she has seen it-not in the round but directly, with her clear and candid eye. Since, however, she has seen so much and from so central a point of vision, her reflections on our world and on our human prospects have more than an autobiographical interest. She is a very wise woman, and it would be correspondingly unwise not to take notice of her hopes-and fears."
-Barbara Ward ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An amazing, fascinating woman writes a dull, lifeless book
Eleanor Roosevelt's autobiography provides very little information about her life. She vaguely refers to many seemingly important events (such as the death of her father, her husband's presidency) with little emotion and no detail whatsoever. If you know a lot about her and the politics of the time already, it may offer an interesting perspective. If you want to know details of ER's incredibly interesting life, read her biography by Blanch Weisen Cook.

From Ugly Duckling to Powerful Woman
This autobiography is in four parts. The first one is about her childhood, the second and third part mostly about FDR, something she admits in the beginnning of the chaper. It gives a nice insight in who they both lived together although we know now there was a lot more going on (FDR's affair) which is not in her autobiography.

A nice turn of events comes after the death of FDR. Instead of retiring silently ad Hyde Park she takes on an active role in public life, being present at the founding of the UN and being a member of the committe on human rights which would lead to the Declaration of Human Rights. She also writes extensively about her travels around the world where she interviewed world leaders. Her visits to Israel and the Soviet Union are fascinating to read about.

A Life Story Well Told: The Autobiography of Elenor Roosevet
The Autobiography of Elenor Roosevelt, by Elenor Roosevelt, tells the story of a grat woman, one who greatly impacted the lives of many Americans. In her own words, the modest Elenor Roosevelt begins her life story describing her childhood in great detail and continues through her later years. This book not only tells the life story of this remarkable woman, but teaches a history lesson of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A compelling chronicle of a nation and its leaders during the period when modern America was created. With an uncanny feel for detail and a novelist's grasp of drama and depth, Doris Kearns Goodwin brilliantly narrates the interrelationship between the inner workings of the Roosevelt White House and the destiny of the United States. Goodwin paints a comprehensive, intimate portrait that fills in a historical gap in the story of our nation under the Roosevelts. ... Read more

Reviews (80)

An Unprecedented Account of the Roosevelts and Their Time
No Ordinary Time presents a compelling social history of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the development of American society during the war years. Both are exposed for their flaws and both are extolled for their virtues. Doris Kearns Goodwin interweaves an impressive array of primary resource material in chronicalling international and domestic developments. For example, the emotional ups and downs of the Allied war effort are counterposed with excerpts from the diary of Nazi propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels. The progressive views and policies of the Roosevelt administration are aptly pitted with letters to the White House demonstrating the stubborn racism and apathy of many in WWII American society. In the end, Goodwin paints an illustrative picture of both the Roosevelts and their time -- with wonderful accounts of events and attitudes that will surprise a number of readers.

Because of Goodwin's approach, the book is equally valuable for what is says about the Roosevelts as what it says about American society during WWII. The Roosevelt marraige is displayed in all its beauty and ugliness. Goodwin aptly demonstrates the irony of the live of the Roosevelts: while they strove ceaselessly to improve the lives of every Amercian, they often manipulated and harmed the very people closest to them, especially each other.

At the same time, through splendid research and organization, Goodwin follows America's attitudes on such varied subjects as race, gender equality, labor relations, politics, and the war production effort. No item of domestic concern seems overlooked. In her portrayal of domestic developments, Goodwin chronicles the true beginning of modern American society. And once again, as with her descriptions of the Roosevelts, Goodwin does not hesitate to present American society in all its glory and shame. The wonders of American ingenuity and dedication are countered with the ugliness of the Japanese-American internments and racial biases.

Goodwin's account is simply a unique piece of history. While most authors would be unable to portray either the Roosevelts or American society in such brilliant detail, Goodwin pulls both off together in a seemless and impressive account. It is no wonder that this book won the Pulitzer Prize.

A Fascinating Portrait of FDR & Eleanor and Their Times!
Once again Doris Kearns Goodwin pulls the elusive hare from the historical hat! I have been a fan of hers since reading "Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream" well over twenty years ago, and after all this time and reading a number of her books, I never cease to wonder at her incredible creative abilities, at her sheer profundity with language, nuance, and always choosing the right word to cast her narrative into exactly the right mode and string the reader along the trail of her entertaining and informative story line. This time out she tackles the single most fascinating period of modern American history, those critical years between the onset of the Depression and the end of World War Two.

Here she has chosen to thread her way through both the public and private lives and times of the Roosevelts in the throes of their four successive administrations between 1932 and 1945, in the throes of what was undoubtedly the most momentous and critical period in modern American history. Her powerful prose style lends itself magnificently to the task at hand in terms of describing the principals and the social surround masterfully, and the reader is swept into the waves and eddies of the period, sitting in the catbird's seat as Goodwin describes both the intricacies of FDR's administration and their uneasy, unconventional, and unusual marriage. This is an extremely well researched, insightful and thoughtful study of two enormously complex people at the peaks of the intellectual, social, and political powers, in the midst of a socio-political maelstrom of historical proportions.

As described by Goodwin, both Eleanor and FDR become figures of almost Biblical proportions; modern titans committed both to the nation as well as to each other. Yet these two were in many ways living separate lies, and one marvels and the degree of maturity, selflessness, and composure each had to face the issues of both their public and private obligations in the manner they apparently did. Her emerging portrait of FDR is that of a brilliant, charismatic, endlessly witty and wise patrician who steeled himself to the notion of "noblesse oblige", while Eleanor is painted in what is in many ways a much more sympathetic light, as a long-suffering, patient, loving and ultimately independent woman no longer content to stand quietly in the shadows.

This is a very comprehensive, compassionate, and compelling historical biography of the Roosevelts in the context of their times, and is an admirable addition to the growing body of scholarly yet popular works so many recently active American historians like Goodwin, Ambrose, David Kennedy, James Patterson, and Taylor Branch have contributed to our understanding of the United States in the 20th century. I really enjoyed reading this magnificent book by Ms. Goodwin, and recommend it for your history bookshelf. Enjoy!

A good look at a fascinating partnership.
Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "No Ordinary Time" about FDR & Eleanor is a fine piece of writing that certainly belongs in anyone's American History library. Of course it is World History, but it is written from a very American perspective and thereby manages to relegate even Churchill to the wings.

There is a degree of nearly strident feminism in the writing, not quite what one would call shrill, but the author's sympathies seem to lean decidedly toward Mrs. Roosevelt, often based on issues of sexual inequality. To be fair, Ms. Kearns Goodwin is about as harsh in her handling of racial prejudice
and anti-semitism, both cases where FDR used Eleanor as a lightening rod.

What emerges is nonetheless what most sources reveal: he was the instinctive politician who happened to be in the right place at the right time to make magic happen while she was a tireless social activist more in tune with the masses than with any one person. He could bend his principles when needed (either for the greater good of the whole or on occasion for his own selfish indulgences) whereas she was quite rigid and nearly incapable of intimacy.

One can (or should) hardly judge them. It is enough to appreciate their complexity and their contrasts and to see how they played off one another so well. The real beauty of this book is that it allows us to do just that quite completely.

the best biography
Doris Kearns Goodwin really took her time and wrote one of the best books I have ever read. She talked about Franklin and Eleanore and their influence on each other, as well as the support for each other they needed to get through WWII. I was born in 1960, and recognized many of the names in politics from my childhood, but the step by step process of the war and the thinking behind each step was just so educational for me. I chose this book for my Literature group last year, and everyone loved it. Most of the women lived through this time, and one was a nurse in the army at that time, and said this was a very accurate account, but also that she learned much more than was ever in the news. Just a great experience and definitely sparked great discussion fo hours!

Roosevelt propaganda
FDR was the second worst president in U.S. history after Bill Clinton. He bankrupted the U.S. economy, he made us a socialist nation, and brainwashed us with filthy Soviet propaganda during World War II. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Roosevelt worshipper. Steer clear of works like this and instead read John Flynn's "The Roosevelt Myth". ... Read more

Book Description

Eleanor Roosevelt’s remarkable ability to confront and successfully overcome hurdles--be they political, personal, or social--made her one of the greatest leaders of the last century, if not all time. A veritable roadmap to heroic living, Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way examines the former First Lady’s leadership development from her earliest years as a young woman faced with a plethora of obstacles, through her enormously productive and politically involved years in the White House, as an honorary Ambassador, an author, and beyond, providing women from all walks of life with a model for personal achievement.

Focusing on the need for women to take greater leadership roles, author Robin Gerber draws on the values, tactics, and beliefs that enabled Eleanor Roosevelt to bring about transformational changes-in herself, and in the world. Each chapter begins with an introductory story taken from successive periods in Eleanor’s life, followed by the lessons she learned and how they contributed to her growth as a person and as a leader. Gerber also provides anecdotes from Eleanor’s life, as well as from the lives of contemporary "everyday" women to show how all women can discover and further develop their leadership skills. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way
At 46, I found the book both affirming and inspiring. Ms. Gerber shows, through the life of the great ER, how painful life experiences can enhance both self awareness and empathy, and even more amazingly, how suffering a betrayal can be liberating. Her discussion on the special leadership skills developed through motherhood make clear the public interest in cultivating women leaders. The book is both a very accesible, good read and an effective step-by-step leadership guide.

She is just as relevant today as she was in her time.
Ms. Gerber really brings Eleanor to life, and makes her human. This book unfolds the story of how Eleanor found herself -- found her skills, her voice, her passion. Even in the face of great challenges -- personal, social, political -- Eleanor had her internal compass which lead her to greatness.

This book also shows Eleanor's self-doubt -- a feeling that all mortals experience. Eleanor is not a "super hero." She was a living, breathing woman who didn't know where life would take her.

Finally, this book is about leadership -- not the hard-charging, slash-and-burn, take no prisoners approach. But the kinder, gentler, diplomatic approach, that appeals to people's desire to create a better world for themselves and everyone around them.

This is a great read, and will leave you inspired!

ER Lessons for Leadership and Lessons for the World Now
After reading about Colin Powel's style, Bush's War and Guiliani's book on Leadership, it was a nice break to read about one of history's greatest first ladies--Eleanor Roosevelt. It also served as a checkpoint for myself to have a peek at the early 20th century and the beginnings of the UN in light of recent events. This book was written by Robin Gerber who is a senior scholar at the Academy of Leadership which is part of the University of Maryland. Not only a biography of Eleanor, it's also a how-to on leadership and includes side information about how other women implement Eleanor's style in their lives today.
Key Takeaways:
Give Voice to Your Leadership--ER did not start out a brilliant and inspiring public speaker, she had to practice at it. She eventually managed to be an effective communicator through both speech and her writing in columns. She held press conferences at the White House for women reporters only--she identified an audience she could reach and began speaking to them.
Embrace Risk--despite many folks including herself being unsure of her and her role, at Truman's request ER took on a role within the formation of the UN and went on to be a leading proponant of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She took this on shortly after the death of FDR--a time when she could have retired. Instead she started on a second life.
Never Stop Learning--this keeps coming up in the lives of leaders--they have an interest in the world and learning about it. ER traveled extensively in the latter part of her life and took a good deal of interest in learning about the world and the various cultures enhabiting it. She traveled throughout the middle east and India. She also used her columns, and speeches as a tool to educate others.

A True Treasure
This book creates a lasting relationship between Eleanor Roosevlet and the reader. It allows the reader to touch and be touched by the soul and strength of E.R. As the reader discovers the beauty, determination and extraordinary feats of E.R., she also unfolds the treasures of her true self.

This book manifests a foundation for any woman who is preparing to graduate school, is condidering a career change, or wants to embrace life and herself.

Thank you Robin and Thank you Eleanor

Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way - fantastic!
This is a truly wonderful book... an easy read about a complex topic. I've purchased extra copies as gifts for several friends already!
As a middle manager I am eager to explore my role as a leader... sometimes feeling that I am only one person who has little influence in this world.
Ms. Gerber understands how much women are looking for leadership "heroes" and her handling of Eleanor Roosevelt's personal history makes this book quite compelling. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Everyone should read this book
This is a little-known but delightful gem of a book. The inimitable Eleanor Roosevelt was a prolific author, but this effort is among her very best. Forged by adversity throughout her life, Eleanor was born into a privileged, wealthy family. Her father, Elliot, was Theodore Roosevelt's brother.

My favorite chapter is "The Right to Be an Individual." Mrs. Roosevelt stresses that individuality is something to be prized, yet people want to remain safe, surrounded by a group. She stresses we should strive against this and always be true to ourselves. This is a simple, yet eloquent philosophy. The entire book is full of wit, wisdom and some profound bits of advice. I am a better person for having read this book and I think everyone can take something meaningful from its pages.

You Learn By Living Eleven Keys For A More Fulfilling Life
In this wise and highly personal book, one of the twentieth century's most famous and beloved first ladies - Eleanor Roosevelt - offers advice on how to create a satisfying life.

Offering her own philosophy on living, the woman who was called Fist Lady to the World leads readers on a path to confidence, education, maturity, and more.

You Learn By Living is a book that remains fascinating, inspirational, and relevant to late - twentieth - century readers.

The keys to the kind of life Mrs. Roosevelt describes are:

- Learning to Learn
- Fear the Great Enemy
- The Uses of Time
- The Difficult Art of Maturity
- Readjustments Is Endless
- Learning to Be Useful
- The Right to Be an Individual
- How to Get the Best Out of People
- Facing Responsibility
- How Everyone Can Take Part in Politics
- Learning to Be a Public Servant

Read This Book!
This book is a gem. It is full of wonderful advice for living one's life in a full, satisfying, and unselfish way. It is the speaking out of a remarkable mind who was for decades the conscience of a nation. ... Read more

Book Description

The most important woman in American politics, Eleanor Roosevelt is recreated in all of her roles-visionary, activist, political wife, and a woman, far more independent than we knew. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Explores New Ground on a Famous Woman
Most books that I have read on Eleanor Roosevelt stress that no matter how revolutionary she might have seemed, she lived her life within certain bounds for her time. Yet this book demonstrates that the historical character and the real woman are very different. The author portrays Eleanor as a woman who did not find herself until her mid-thirties and then was determined to live as she wanted. Her marriage to Franklin was not fulfilling and she needed more. She found this with various life long friends who shared her passion for politics and social change. The author does an excellent job staying on track, and keeping Eleanor in the forefront. This is definitely not a biography of Franklin! I found the information on the early life of Eleanor to be especially interesting, in how so many of the obstacles that she faced as a youth played a large role in how she dealt with others the rest of her life. Her childhood is hearbreaking and I can't help but think that even for all her wealth and priviledge, how sad her childhood was. She seemed to search all her life to find a home and finally decided to create her own with her friends, not her family. Even though she had five children, their lives were controlled by her mother-in-law, Sara Delano Roosevelt. Rather than become depressed at the various obstacles presented by her life, she rose above them and ultimately became a very fulfilled and happy person.

An inspiring subject; a skewed portrayal
Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most inspirational and influential people of the 20th century, despite her own protests to the contrary. While Ms. Cook's biography reveals many insights into Mrs. Roosevelt's private and public lives, certain of the author's own subjective opinions color what information is missing or has been destroyed regarding this wonderful first lady; these opinions are certainly open to debate. Overall, though, the book inspires all to pursue dreams, to grow throughout a lifetime, to change to fit the times and the needs of one's world. Eleanor's own education about living provides a basis from which to begin living life to the fullest. It is this hope and fortitude that Ms. Cook best captures.

"...assertive, independent, and bold."
Eleanor Roosevelt's passions impress those who recall her later public image as a dowdy grandmother-type. No cracks about prominent teeth, please. Author Blanche Wiesen Cook does a commendable job of telling a familiar story from a fresh perspective. This book details ER's life from childhood to the beginning of her career as First Lady. The theme of the book is ER as "assertive, independent, and bold." As long as she lived by other people's expectations, ER was stifled. After she asserted her independence, she was happier and more successful. "She feared rigidities," Cook asserts. She abhorred the judgmental absolutes that she thought contributed to her parents' problems and early deaths. ER aspired to walk in the humanist footsteps of her mentor and great teacher, Marie Souvestre. Intriguing questions of ER's private life remain unanswered because she destroyed many of her personal letters and papers. Her marriage to Franklin Roosevelt was mercurial, and the boundaries grew undefined. After 1918, a crisis year in their marriage, ER formed a number of associations with women social activists. She embarked in new directions, and tirelessly supported women's issues. Ironically, she opposed the 1920s version of the equal rights amendment because she felt it would remove protections that women enjoyed under the laws of that time. Woven through the tapestry of the narrative are questions of ER's love life. Her close working friendships with lesbian activists, at minimum, suggest Sapphic possibilities. ER's views of love and sex were nonconformist, and included men and women. Both Earl Miller and Lorena Hickock played special roles in her life. Cook writes of Eleanor Roosevelt as a three-dimensional woman of joy and sorrow. This book is an eye opening and enjoyable read. Highly recommended. ;-)

Frustrating and disappointing bio of a great heroine
If you want to understand Eleanor Roosevelt and her times, read Doris Kearns Goodwin's "No Ordinary Time: Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt -- The Home Front During World War II." Her historical perspective is broader, her prose ten times better, and her psychological analysis less one-sided and narrow.

This book is good if you want to know every last little detail about Eleanor's life -- it seems that Cook included every fact that could possibly be documented (and many with questionable or absent documentation - pages of assertions without endnotes to back them up!) Her prose is disorganized and often reads as if she went from one index card to the next without regard for transitions. (In one section she refers to the high regard on of FDR's bosses had for him, and in the very next sentence she says that it was Eleanor who bridged the tension between the two men. What tension was that? We don't find out for many more pages.) I agree with many reviewers that her feminist slant colors her interpretation unduly -- and I'm a strong feminist myself. What a shame - Eleanor deserved better.

great life, ordinary biography
ER was certainly an impressive American. However this biography is too light for such a heavy weight. Wiesen Cook provides little analysis of the world between 1884 and 1933, just the occassional reference, yet the reason ER was so impressive was that she interpreted correctly and reacted positively to what was going on around her and her times. While the biographer provides so many extracts from her letters the reader feels like they are guiltity rummaging through another's most private possessions, she does not link these adequately to the times. Also, she is so enamoured with her subject that she frustratingly stops short of making a point or even stating her opinion or point of view on any interesting subject. Flowery prose is no substitute for pointed analysis, espeically in relation to a 20th century giant like ER. ... Read more

Book Description

For a long time, the main role of First Ladies was to act as hostesses of the White House...until Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in 1884, Eleanor was not satisfied to just be a glorified hostess for her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor had a voice, and she used it to speak up against poverty and racism. She had experience and knowledge of many issues, and fought for laws to help the less fortunate. She had passion, energy, and a way of speaking that made people listen, and she used these gifts to campaign for her husband and get him elected president—four times! A fascinating historical figure in her own right, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady forever. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An impressive and highly recommended life story
In Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?, biographer Gare Thompson reveals to young readers the impressive and highly recommended life story of one of the most influential women in American 20th Century history. Individual chapters begin with the question "Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?", and the continue on with "Early Years"; "Daddy's Little Girl"; "All Alone"; "Years at Allenswood"; "Cousin Franklin"; "Marriage and Children"; "Politics"; "White House Years"; and "Ambassador to the World". ... Read more

Book Description

The intriguing story of Eleanor Roosevelt traces the life of the former First Lady from her early childhood through the tumultuous years in the White House to her active role in the founding of the United Nations after World War II.A Newberry Honor Book. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Woman of the century
To my mind there are two biographers that write for children and that can do no wrong. On is the ineffable J. Giblin (author of "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler") and one is Russell Freedman. Freedman is best known for his well-rounded and intensely researched biography of Abraham Lincoln (entitled "Lincoln: A Photobiography"), winner of the Newbery award. Turning his sights to a slightly more modern personage, Freedman examines the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Every biography needs a hook. It's not enough to lay out the facts of a person's life and let them speak for themselves. Many times, a work examining a famous figure needs to go a little further. To find out what exactly made this person tick. Eleanor Roosevelt's life was not a common one, but it many ways it began ordinarily. Born to beautiful but distant parents, Eleanor struggled with her plain looks and her inordinate shyness from day one. Freedman is often in a position to demonize those people in Roosevelt's life that let her down, yet he never wishes to do so. Rather than actually say, "Eleanor's parents were negligent baboons", the author instead places the facts before the viewer. Examining them, we see that, yes, they were negligent baboons. But we have reached that conclusion on our own, without being told what to think. So goes the rest of Freedman's book. As she grows, Eleanor matures, finds strength in herself, and eventually becomes the best known (and most widely respected) first lady of the United States.

There are a few problems with the biography, though they are small. The book allows itself a small flourish occasionally. One example might be Eleanor's death scene, wherein the author supposes that the former first lady may have seen the image of her father upon dying. Also, though the sources cited are many, Freedman fails to footnote a single page in any way (a talent Giblin has always excelled in). A timeline of Eleanor's life would not have been out of place here either. Just the same, these are small potatoes.

This is a book written specifically with children or young adults in mind. As such, it is interesting and informative. Beautiful photographs accompany almost every page, and there is even a small photo album of additional shots in the back. Hearsay and conjecture about Mrs. Eleanor's private life has been ignored entirely. The book does observe FDR's romantic liaisons (some provided by his daughter, no less) but it does not dwell on them obsessively. As Eleanor forgives but does not forget his dalliances, and so too the reader comes to forgive (maybe a little less) but not forget them either. FDR is interesting, but this is a book about Eleanor Roosevelt and the life she led. Anyone wishing to teach about a popular proto-feminist would do very well to use this woman as their primary example. Freedman has treated her with the dignity she deserves. It is a noteworthy accomplishment.

This is a fantastic book to look into for information!
This book is one of the books that you should really read. It contains tons of information about Eleanor Roosevelt. I had to write a biography about her for a project at school and I aced it! This book had lots of pictures too. I could not put it down!

Very well researched and fascinating!
As a fifth grade student, I did not think that reading a biography would be interesting. However, this book captured my interest from the beginning to the end. The author provides many details about Eleanor Roosevelt's life both before and after she met FDR. After reading this book I really admire Eleanor Roosevelt. She was truly a determined, caring woman.

This book really reveals the life of an American Heroine!
This book is truly one you should read. I read it for english and loved learning about a first lady who wasn't afraid to stand up for her rights. But when you read you will discover her life wasn't all glamour. The book is easy reading and enjoyable. There are some parts that you may skip and won't really make a difference. So buy this book now and read until your done! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Historians, politicians, feminists, critics, and reviewers everywhere have praised Blanche Wiesen Cook's monumental Eleanor Roosevelt as the definitive portrait of this towering female figure of the twentieth century. Now in her long-awaited, majestic second volume, Cook takes readers through the tumultuous era of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the gathering storms of World War II, the years of the Roosevelts' greatest challenges and finest achievements.

In her remarkably engaging narrative, Cook gives us the complete Eleanor Roosevelt: an adventurous, romantic woman, a devoted wife and mother, and a visionary policymaker and social activist who often took unpopular stands, counter to her husband's policies, especially on issues such as racial justice and women's rights. A biography of scholarship and daring, it is a book for all readers of American history.

"Fascinating . . . Cook's portrait of a woman in the thick of things during the hardest of times . . . will stand as definitive." --The Washington Post

"Engrossing . . . Cook is especially good at probing Roosevelt's psychological state and explaining her many complex relationships with friends and family."--The Boston Sunday Globe (front page)

"Cook gets at the tender, sprightly creature behind the starchy, strident image." --Maureen Dowd, The New York Times Book Review (front page) ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Excellent but not as good as volume one
This is a terrific biography, but Cook stumbles a bit in not focusing on Eleanor's private life in this second volume. There is too much of a focus on ancillary topics and I missed the anecdotes and concentration on Eleanor as a human being. Still, this is well-written, though heavily biased in Eleanor's favor (which didn't bother me a bit!)

Even if you're not interested in Eleanor Roosevelt, you will be after reading this book. Cook writes history the way it *should* be written, with an emphasis on the personality, foibles and private life of her subject. She doesn't shy away from speculating on Eleanor's relationship with Lorena Hickock or Earl Miller.

She correctly points out that for years people have denied Eleanor might have had a sexual relationship with Miller simply because he was young and handsome and she was "old" and "ugly." Absurd!

My only minor concern was that Cook seems not to fully appreciate FDR as a man, politician and icon. Her marked preference for Eleanor is obvious, which really isn't a big concern. Was FDR a jerk to cheat on Eleanor with Lucy Mercer? Probably not, since Eleanor hated intimacy with him (and told her daughter "sex is an ordeal to be borne!") and never sought to re-establish a real marriage after 1918.

Most men with FDR's looks, charm and natural exuberance would not tolerate a wife who was cold as a fish in the bedroom. I don't believe Cook accepts this or attempts to understand FDR's frustration.

Eleanor Roosevelt is a truly great and grand lady, multi-faceted, highly intelligent, compassionate and gritty. Cook has done a marvelous job in exploring and explaining her early life

Terrific! Outstanding
I am still reading and re-reading this book. I was initially disappointed because it does not have the focus on Ms. Roosevelt's private life that Volume I does. But after I got over that, I realized that I was reading a major work on the history of social justice movements in this country. Ms. Roosevelt's anti-racism work (including her own personal evolution) is documented here. The racism of her dear friend, Hick, is portrayed along with their disagreements on the issue. Most fascinating are those times that Ms. Roosevelt was reviled and condemned -- for having African American leaders in the White House, for receiving flowers from an African American girl -- perhaps we HAVE progressed in dismantling our racist past. The derision and contempt for poor people in the 30s and 40s is shocking. Ms. Roosevelt's constant, persistent and terribly courageous advocacy for the oppressed is inspirational! Viva Eleanor! Viva Blanche!

I didn't get to know the woman
This is a very well-researched and meticulously written book. However, I never felt I got to know Eleanor Roosevelt. I found the reference to Mrs. Roosevelt throughout the book as "ER" off-putting. It put an emotional distance between the reader and the subject. While we are treated to many details of Mrs. Roosevelt's life, we are never really let in to her emotional life. BWC (the author) goes into such detail about everyone else around Mrs. Roosevelt and she tells us what happened, but she doesn't let us see things through Mrs. Roosevelt's eyes. I still have no idea what the relationship between FDR and his wife was. Nor do I really understand why she remained with Lorena Hick so long. This book really amounts to a laundry list of who, what, where. A really effective biography will let us into the personal lives of the subject and let us feel as they feel as the story of their life unfolds. I never found that emotional resonance in this account. Eleanor Roosevelt left behind copious amounts of source material. I think that the author could have done a much better job of letting us experience Mrs. Roosevelt more fully as a person and not just as a public figure with a lot on her agenda.

Eleanor Stands Tall
Although not being an American, I'm aware that there are many in the States who are not too fond of ER and who are very critical of her. This second volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's series on America's former First Lady is as remarkable and absorbing as was the first. There is no doubt FDR was a man of character,courage and great personal charm and warmth, there is equally no doubt that his wife suffered great personal trauma (and embarrassment) at his refusal (doubtless for political reasons)to speak out against the racial problems (in particular lyching in the South) and the Hitlerites treament of Jews in prewar Germany and Austria whilst the US continued to trade with the Germans. The same could be said of his stance during the Spanish Civil War. Eleanor was a nag (as was mentioned here in other summaries of this book) but never without good reason.
And all of her dire predictions came true. ER's passion for life, her beliefs, her love and respect of her husband, come through over and over again. Her ability to manipulate people, a less attractive aspect of her character - is also here for all to see (as her relationship with Lorena Hickock so aptly demonstrates).
Was there too much of Hick in this book ? I didn't think so. The relationship was a long term, on going one. The letters were not destroyed by ER, who I believe must have realised they'd become public after her death. Finally, ER's energy levels must have been extraordinary - her ability to criss cross the country seemingly non stop was remarkable considering that travel and the mode of travel was nothing like it is today. What an absolute bonus such a partner was to FDR's re electibility !
I look forward to the next "installment" with great anticipation.

Great book, but...
This is a great book about a remarkable first lady. My only complaint is that the author tries to cram almost too much info into the book. The author often will reference things that happened during Mrs Roosevelt's time, but then will not go into detail about those incidences. For instance, the author mentions that during the late 1930's, the Scottsboro incident was going on, but then she doesn't delve further into that incident. The author would've been better off not mentioning it at all.

However, overall, the book does a great job of telling you the reader about the first lady. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Horse of a Different Color
The reviews listed on Amazon don't begin to address the fact that for most historians, and those living during the 1930's and 1940's, Harry Hopkins was Roosevelt's right hand man, and after reading the 1987 biography of Hopkins, it's very easy to come to the unestablished but logical analysis that it was all about Harry from 1935 when Roosevelt was elected until 1946 when Truman came into office. The attempt to discredit Hopkins or write him out of history is a big mistake, and the entire history needs to be done again with a view toward his very large role to prove or disprove the 1987 biography which doesn't say so, but doesn't have to say so, that Roosevelt would have been nowhere without the efforts of this close friend, inhabitant of the White House, negotiator, New Dealer, and operations genius behind the Roosevelt throne.

Harry Hopkins - Hero or Spy
I'm writing this "review" to bring some clarity to the previous reviews. Supposedly, according to the book the "Verona Secrets," Harry Hopkins was a spy. However, please note that this declaration seems to be the opinion of the far right. (Note the reviews on Amazon.com for the "Verona Papers" as well as the conservative internet zine NewsMax.com .) On the other hand, any knee-jerk hero worship is equally suspect. So draw your own view! But not from this book - its emphasis is pre- New Deal!

Response to quack
The reader from PA is a quack. There is no evidence, Venoma included, that proves Hopkins a Soviet spy! There were many in the Roosevelt Administration, especially in the Treasury Department, but among those closest to FDR Hopkins was not a spy.

Hopkins' book is excellent and should be read in conjunction with the works by McJimsey, Tuttle, and Sherwood.

A book tht only a granddaughter could write!!
I felt like I had entered the twilight zone. A fawning tale about the highest ranking foreign spy in American history that fails to even deal with the now universally accepted truth that Hopkins was a Soviet Agent. How this book could have been published subsequent to the release of the Venona documentation is a mystery that can only be explained by the fact that the publisher is The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute Series on Diplomatic and Economic History. Your grandfather was a traitor, Ms. Hopkins deal with it. ... Read more

Book Description

Advance Praise

"Fascinating and well researched.... Dr. Swift is the first to concentrate on this unusual subject with such a wealth of sympathetic detail."
–Sarah Bradford, author of America’s Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain’s Queen, and The Reluctant King: The Life and Reign of George VI, 1895—1952

"A splendid addition to our understanding of an extraordinary Anglo-American partnership. Both intimate and expansive, Will Swift’s vigorously researched book is timely, illuminating, and dramatic."
–Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933 and Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 2: The Defining Years, 1933-1938

"The Anglo-American alliance has long been a bedrock of the global order, and Will Swift’s The Roosevelts and the Royals details an important chapter in that fascinating story with warmth and verve."
–Jon Meacham, author of Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship

"Those who remember only that the Roosevelts served hot dogs to the royals will be fascinated by this well-researched account of an historic and ennobling relationship–a great story!"
–James MacGregor Burns, author of The Three Roosevelts: Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America and Roosevelt: Soldier of Freedom

"A gripping account of four very different lives that were woven together to change the world in wartime."
–Hugo Vickers, author of Cecil Beaton and Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece

"Written in fluid and lucid prose, this book is not only eminently readable but also historically illuminating. It explores the contrasting personalities of the four main protagonists with skill and insight and it is both convincing and refreshingly candid."
–Brian Roberts, author of Randolph: A Study of Churchill’s Son and Cecil Rhodes and the Princess

"This book brings to life my grandmother and her royal friends. Reading it, I found myself reliving the times I shared with them. A wonderful story."
–Nina Roosevelt Gibson, Ph.D., psychologist and granddaughter of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Brilliant Account of Fascinating Historical Figures
If you like a blend of biography and history as I do, you will love this book. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth are vividly portrayed here. Their alliance and, later friendship, and their commitment to mix charm and duty for the public good are set against Joseph Kennedy and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's self-serving attempts to gain attention and power. The author, a psychologist, shows us the inner workings and motivations of all the main characters without sounding like he is doing a case study.
Most of us are aware how FDR and Churchill worked together to build the "special relationship" between America and Britain, but this book rounds out the story by showing the complicated three-way partnership between Churchill, Roosevelt and the king. I was surprised by how little I knew about the king and queen's role in softening American isolationism and in persuading Roosevelt to send war materials to Britain when it was at the brink of extinction.
I was fascinated by how the king and queen won over Americans in Washington and New York during their 1939 state visit. The author gives us the full drama of the hot dog picnic at Hyde Park and explores how it helped to heal British-American relations.
The Roosevelts and the royal family remained friends until Eleanor's death in 1962. There is a wonderful vignette in the book about Eleanor's visit with her granddaughter to Buckingham Palace for tea with Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. The Roosevelt- royal connection has recently been revived by Prince Andrew on visits to Hyde Park.
The author has obviously done his homework- with careful research at both the FDR Library and Windsor Castle- and has talked to many of the Roosevelt grandchildren. Like Jon Meacham's Franklin and Winston, and Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time, this book brings historical relationships to life, and provides an accurate depiction of a period in time. This is a truly impressive biography of four of the twentieth century's greatest leaders.

This Book Must Be Read
Will Swift does a terrific job in bringing to life the personalities and issues of a critical time in world history. This book is a must read for those interested in the events of the time, and how those events influenced today's relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Hot Dogs Symbolize Core American Values....
The potential audience for this engaging work extends far beyond the royal watchers. Will Swift's unique lens framing The Roosevelts and the Royals brilliantly illustrates the political culture tie (not ascot) that binds. This psychologist masterfully showcases the subtlety that allowed the American public to access the royalty from which they once fled. As world reknowned Seymour Martin Lipset tells us in his theory of American exceptionalism, Americans have more values that join them than separate them-but always assumed that these value distinctions are what cut the cord from the mother country. The visit between the Roosevelts and the Royals tapped a major American vein, the undercurrent of core American values-egalitarianism, populism, individualism, laissez faire and liberty. We were "free" to serve hot dogs, what many Americans might be dining on in picnics across America. Compelling in both organization and writing, the book reveals the ultimate complexity of people, and that leaders can serve distinctive purposes in different time periods, often based on our fundamental orientations as people. Perhaps only such a well-trained psychologist could detect and successfully communicate what resonated between these people, in quite genuinely a friendship that changed history, and could capture the symbolical roots of the now formidable US-British alliance. Swift is able to show the generational learning the can occur between countries-the mother country, and the rebellion of the fledgling toddler nation, who ultimately sees what "genetic" propensities remain. So well-researched and written, it need not be reserved for political scientists and royal watchers, but for good book lovers everywhere, who truly appreciate an original.

A Great Royal - Roosevelt Read.
An excellent recollection of the relationship between the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. This book is filled with fascinating details, stories and antedotes that keeps the reader engrossed from beginning to end. Will Swift clearly has a great understanding not only of British Royal History but American History as well, this knowledge combined with a effortless, free flowing writing style makes this book a pleasure to read. For anyone with a interest in the Roosevelts and/or the King and Queen of England this is a definite must read. Don't miss this book and the story of infamous first royal hot dog.

A Winning Combination
This book is a fascinating view of American social history throughout the FDR years. It's backed up by extensive research and has pages of scholarly source notes, yet it's really fun to read--a highly enjoyable look at the American-British alliance and how strong this was at the time of the Greatest Generation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As she did in Freud and Jung, Linda Donn gives a new spin to a famous story in her portrait of the generation that grew up in the mighty shadow of Theodore Roosevelt. She focuses on TR's daughter Alice, his brother's daughter Eleanor, and their distant cousin Franklin, who married Eleanor in 1905. Contrary to Alice's recollections elsewhere, she and Eleanor were fond of each other as girls. Each had lost a mother, adored a father, and felt out of place among the gregarious Roosevelts. Alice hid her fears behind a stylish, mischievous façade, but her diaries reveal great insecurities. And though Eleanor later depicted herself as a painfully shy wallflower, contemporaries thought her spirited, smart, and popular. Franklin, often portrayed as mother-dominated, began very early to reject her attempts to manage his life; at 14 he wrote sharply, "Please don't make any arrangements for my future happiness." Alice socialized frequently with the Franklin Roosevelts during World War I, but in the 1920s divisions opened between TR's Republican Oyster Bay clan and the Democratic Hyde Park Roosevelts, particularly after Eleanor campaigned vigorously against Alice's half-brother, Ted Jr., when he ran for governor of New York. FDR's New Deal widened the rupture, but in later years "tribal feeling" was restored. Donn's readable narrative modifies conventional wisdom to take greater account of human complexity, particularly the chasm between how people view themselves and how others perceive them. She solidly achieves her goal: "a rich and ultimately truer picture of the Roosevelt family." --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Book Description

In the words of Arthur Schlesinger, Eleanor & Franklin "is a beautiful book - beautiful in its scholarship, insight, objectivity and candor." Joseph Lash was secretary and confidant to Eleanor Roosevelt. His book was made into the PBS special of the same name. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inspiring and engrossing
I almost never read anything that can be even mildly construed as having to do with politics. I picked this up because I was going on a trip and it was long - 930 pages to be exact. I assumed it would be about Eleanor and her relationship with Franklin, not about him, and I was right. I really enjoyed reading about her childhood and young aduldhood. I never realized what an amazing person she was and how much she had to overcome.

Yes, there were chapters in this book that I read with a somewhat dazed attention as they included far too many details about far too many people whom I had never heard of. But even in those chapters, Eleanor's light kept me reading.

Highly recommended for its revelation of an extremely important American woman.

Mostly Eleanor & some Franklin
would have been a better title for this book. Slow in some parts. I believe you really have to have an interest in Mrs. Roosevelt to get through it. She was truly FDR's most important advisor.Not becauses he wanted it that wasy but others in his administration would defer to her. The book talks about many of her back door power plays to the annoyance of the president. These are amusing stories but too infrequent. ... Read more

Book Description

Until her death when he was 20, David B. Roosevelt enjoyed a close relationship with his GrandmËre, Eleanor Roosevelt. Although she was admired by millions around the world, few people knew her as her loved ones did. Now David shares personal family stories and photographs that show Eleanor as she really was: passionate, vulnerable, courageous, and determined to live her private and personal life according to the humanitarian ideals she cherished. From her unhappy, sheltered childhood to the powerful partnership forged by her marriage to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to her remarkable achievements as a champion of human rights, this blend of fond remembrance and impeccable research offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the life of a fascinating woman whose legacy continues today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nothing New!
This rather short coffee-table book is most notable for its collection of photos of Eleanor Roosevelt and her family. The photos are extensive, and a few have not been seen before by non-historians like myself. Otherwise, there was almost nothing new to be learned about this very remarkable and intelligent woman, much to my disappointment! Most amazing was that her grandson actually admitted that he was ignorant of her role on the public stage until her death when he was 20 years old!

I LOVE THIS BOOK I LEARNT A LOT MORE ON ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
I love everything and every pictures too. Thank you. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the influence their summer home on Campobello Island had upon them. It is a personal history that examines the Roosevelts' background and traditions and explores their public trials, tragedies, and triumphs, as well as the frustrations and disappointments of their private lives. Campobello played a vital role in the formation of character for both Franklin and Eleanor, and provided them with physical challenges and emotional solace. It was at Campobello that Franklin was felled by polio, the most defining event in both their private lives and public careers. This story is peppered with anecdotes, personal letters, and the reminiscences of the aides, friends, and family who played important roles in their lives. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Move Over, Stephen Ambrose
This is a well-researched and well-written glimpse of one of the most famous and influential couples of the 20th Century. It reads extremely well while casting new light on two already-much studied lives but from an entirely new perspective. Jonas Klein proposes that FDR and Eleanor were in some measure defined by the Campobello experience and makes a credible case for it.

Before picking up Beloved Island I had just finished reading one more of Stephen AmbroseÕ books on World War II and, quite frankly, had tired a little of the rhythm and predictability in his technique of stringing together many individual Òoral historiesÓ to create a coherent whole. He does it very well, of course, but Jonas Klein does it better. Working mostly from snapshot detail in correspondence, I presume, Klein succeeds in portraying the larger portraits of personality, emotion, relationships, and other intangibles that make figures from history what they really are.

Though not quite a Òone sittingÓ experience, this little book leads us gently to further thought and deeper understanding about Franklin and Eleanor. ItÕs a good book.

Exceptionally well researched & well-written
Beloved Island: Franklin & Eleanor And The Legacy Of Campobello examines how the Roosevelt summer home on New Brunswick's Campobello Island (a remote Canadian location) had a significant physical and emotional influence on their lives and the events of their day. While acknowledging the Roosevelt's' traditions and background, Jonas Klein presents a fresh perspective on their public trials and triumphs as well as their personal frustrations and private disappointments as showcased by their Campobello residency. It was at Campobello that Franklin was stricken with polio, that Eleanor found peace and refuge from a demanding and unsympathetic world, and that their personal and political relationship as formed in a manner that would serve them both to the end of their lives. Exceptionally well researched, well-written, insightful, informative, and totally engaging biography.

FDR, ER & Campo
I was excited when I first saw this book advertised. Anyone who has studied the Roosevelts knows the fundamental emotional foundation this island provided the family. However, when I began to read the book, I quickly became disgruntled. There was little to no new information, insight or perspective offered. The author seems to mainly cover the same formulaic roads covered before-- early marriage, polio, governor, president, & Eleanor on her own. The only difference was this books focuses on those same paths through the lens of Campobello. The problem, besides offering little new, is this lens is restrictive, rather than encompassing. If you're looking for an introduction to the Roosevelts, this may be a good selection. However, if you have studied this couple with any kind of attention, nothing profound or enlightning is likely to be found here. ... Read more