Book Description

This digital document is an article from Social Education, published by National Council for the Social Studies on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 4433 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "Maybe you could help?" Letters to Eleanor Roosevelt, 1934-1942.(Biography)
Author: Mary Mason Royal
Publication: Social Education (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: National Council for the Social Studies
Volume: 69Issue: 1Page: S2(7)

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Reviews (1)

Compelling, but incomplete
This collection of letters written by Eleanor Roosevelt from 1943-1962 documents this remarkable woman's service to mankind, and the bottomless well of compassion and love that was at the center of her being.

Of particular interest is her unusual and unfulfilled romantic attachment to two men: the author, Joseph P. Lash, and a doctor she met on a trip to Switzerland, Dr. David Gurewitsch.

The letters reveal her devotion to her children, who were a source of frequent disappointment and frustration. They also are a testament to her unbelievable energy. Mrs. Roosevelt's travel schedule, even in her final years, would be a challenge to the youngest and heartiest of globetrotters.

The book does have weaknesses. The author seems to make the assumption that the reader is either familiar with his earlier books about the Roosevelts, or has some other source of knowledge about Mrs. Roosevelt's relationships to the persons to whom she writes in A World of Love.

More background information about the recipients of the letters is needed throughout, and this is particularly true in the case of Mrs. Roosevelt's relationship to Mr. Lash and his wife, Trude. Also, the two should be included in the picture sections of the book. Perhaps the fact that they are not is a sign of the author's modesty but, nevertheless, it is a definite oversight.

A World of Love is a worthwhile read for any admirer of one of history's most dynamic and selfless women. But this book could have been a world better if the narrative had included more information about the people who were fortunate enough to attract Eleanor Roosevelt's attention and affection. ... Read more

Book Description

The second volume in the CREATORS OF THE AMERICAN MIND series, this collection of primary sources demonstrates the power which individuals of talent, will, and opportunity can exert over the American public. Brief enough to serve as a supplementary reader for courses in American History and Women's History, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: FIRST LADY offers students a collection of documents (with informative introductions) that are grouped logically, making it easy for them to research and write on Eleanor Roosevelt. ... Read more

Book Description

Impoverished young Americans had no greater champion during the Depression than Eleanor Roosevelt. As First Lady, Mrs. Roosevelt used her newspaper columns and radio broadcasts to crusade for expanded federal aid to poor children and teens. She was the most visible spokesperson for the National Youth Administration, the New Deal's central agency for aiding the needy young, and she was adamant in insisting that federal aid to young people be administered without discrimination so that it reached blacks as well as whites, girls as well as boys.

This activism made Mrs. Roosevelt a beloved figure among poor teens and children, who between 1933 and 1941 wrote her thousands of letters describing their problems and requesting her help. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt presents nearly 200 of these extraordinary documents to open a window into the lives of the Depression's youngest victims. In their own words, the letter writers confide what it was like to be needy and young during the worst economic crisis in American history.

Revealing both the strengths and the limitations of New Deal liberalism, this book depicts an administration concerned and caring enough to elicit such moving appeals for help yet unable to respond in the very personal ways the letter writers hoped. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A wonderful way to learn about our grandparent's generation.
This book contains absolutely touching letters written by the youth of America during a time when the country was struggling feed, clothe, and employ a large part of the population. Robert Cohen must have spent millions of hours researching the letters that were kept by Mrs. Roosevelt's staff.
Chapters focus on the following subjects: Ill-Clothed, Ill-Housed, Ill-Fed; Education; Social Life; and Minorities. Mr. Cohen draws conclusions based on the letters he researched, then includes letters written to Mrs. Roosevelt from the children. The letters are, for the most part, heartbreaking - I wouldn't recommend reading more than 4 a day, otherwise you might be overwhelmed.
This book gave me a greater understanding of what my grandparents lived through. I also that some things in life never change - our desire for art and culture, education, and societal acceptance.
A must-read for anyone with an interest in history, or for someone who is interested in hearing firsthand accounts of what life was like for a large part of the American population in the late 1920's and early 1930's. ... Read more