Customer Reviews

EMPTY WITHOUT YOU: The Intimate Letters Of Eleanor Roosevelt And Lorena Hickok

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Those who denies the strong sexual overtones in these letters must be repressed or absurdly committed to the idea that Eleanor Roosevelt had to have been unequivocally heterosexual. Never mind that by the time she met Hickock, her physical relationship with FDR had been dead for over a decade, not to be revived. Had these letters been penned by a man to a woman, there would be no fuss, but because we're dealing with two females, the fur flies.

Eleanor and Hick loved each other, that's patently obvious from the letters. To me it seems quite apparent there was a sexual relationship as well... so what? FDR had Lucy Mercer in the 1910's and Missy LeHand was his "companion" from 1922-1940, but Eleanor should be relegated to permanent "lonely" status?

Even if you don't care about the gossip-y element of this book, it's moderately interesting from a social perspective, particularly if you are interested in 1930's history or mores. There are remarkably few references to Franklin Roosevelt in the correspondence, which might speak volumes for Eleanor's priorities at this time.

An interesting book, well edited and entertaining.

Earlier biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok often include vigorous denials about the implications of these letters. "It's not what it sounds like," we have been told. So it's refreshing to have these 300 letters collected and commented on by someone not afraid of homosexual implications. Editor Rodger Streitmatter also provides brief biographical and historical information to put the letters in the context of the times. * Streitmatter tries to let the letters speak for themselves, but perhaps he should have tried harder. He has prefaced most of the letters with an explanatory paragraph, and although these are mostly helpful, I became tired of having him point out the paragraph or sentence in which something particularly intimate or revealing would be said. * Streitmatter also has used the term "first friend" as an identifier for Hickok, parallel to "first lady." Not only does this seem a bit too cute, but also, from what we learn about Hickok, it's exactly the kind of designation that would have driven her up the wall. * Overall, though, the book is a revealing and well-balanced portrait of these women's relationship. Whether their relationship was physically sexual or not, it's clear from their letters that they loved each other.

This well-edited book definitely preserves the intimacy of the relationship between ER and Hick. Regardless of your personal interpretation of their relationship, the book makes for fascinating reading. There are many "behind the scenes" details of the workings of the New Deal and other social and political events of the time. This book is nothing less than fascinating.

Eleanor Roosevelt has been an inspiration ever since I was a young girl, a terrific role model for political activists, humanitarians, and women and girls of all ages. But she is often portrayed in biographies (excepting Blanche Wiesen Cook's wonderful recent work) as a cold fish in her personal life. This is one of the reasons that any fan of ER should read these letters. ER is passionate, caring, needy, annoyed - real emotions from a real woman. We also get a look at Lorena Hickok - Hick - beyond the stereotypes, as a woman deeply in love and troubled by the lack of an exclusive relationship.

One problem I have with the book, though, is not letting whole letters speak for themselves, revealing more of the political discussions that seem to have been a big part of both women's lives and their attraction to one another. Were they lovers? They were certainly "in love," and regardless of where they drew the physical line, this book reveals foremothers any woman, lesbians included, should be proud to claim.

As an avid reader of all things Roosevelt, I was rather disappointed in Rodger Streitmatter's Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. The story of how Eleanor and Lorena (Hick) became such intimate friends (maybe even physically intimate) is a fascinating one. Hick was a hard-nosed AP reporter who had a successful 20 year career in a profession dominated almost exclusively by men. In the course of covering FDR's first campaign, she found a kindred spirit in Eleanor. Both women were needy: they both had tough childhoods, suffered humiliations and tragedies, and were deeply wounded by those they loved. They struck up a lifelong friendship, although the intensity of this relationship waned after the first 3 years. During the course of this friendship, they wrote each other almost every day, and sometimes more than one letter in a day. Hick also lived at the White House for some of this time.

What I found so disappointing about Empty Without You is that out of the many thousands of letters that Eleanor and Hick exchanged throughout their lifetime, Hick destroyed a good many of them-especially those letters from the beginning of their relationship when it was the most intense. There are not many surprises here, and those few that allow a peak at their level of intimacy have been extensively quoted in other Roosevelt books. Also, I found that the story itself is rather depressing. Hick gave Eleanor the knowledge and power to recast the job of First Lady so that Eleanor could better achieve her own political agenda. She encouraged Eleanor to give weekly news conferences with only women reporters invited. She also prodded Eleanor to start writing newspaper columns-monthly at first, and then her daily My Day column that ran for 27 years. Finally, Hick suggested that Eleanor write her autobiography before FDR's first term was even finished. At first, Eleanor depended on Hick to help her with her writing. But Eleanor was a quick study and soon no longer needed Hick. Unfortunately, in broadening her horizons, Eleanor had less and less time for Hick. To make matters worse, Hick was forced to give up her newspaper job because of conflicts of interest, and took on a job traveling the country on behalf of FERA to report on the progress of relief programs. Hick missed the career that had brought her great success, name recognition, positive reinforcement and financial security. Hick also suffered from depression and mood swings-especially when her time with Eleanor did not go as planned. Unfortunately for Hick, her ugly and frequent outbursts were an embarrassment to Eleanor and had just the opposite effect: instead of bringing them even closer, Eleanor started to pull away. Still, Eleanor never completely abandoned Hick and did much to take care of her (especially financially) as they aged.

One thing that I did enjoy about Empty Without You are the reports that Hick wrote for FERA. Although she mostly gave snippets of these in her letters to Eleanor, boss Harry Hopkins was correct when he predicted that Hick's well-written reports would in the future become a window on the Great Depression. But overall, there is not much new or enlightening in this book. If you want to know more about the relationship between Eleanor and Lorena, I'd stick with Doris Faber's Life of Lorena Hickok: E.R.'s Friend.

If only we all could find one good friend as they found each other. I enjoyed the book very much. Well, written and organized to chronicle Mrs. Roosevelt's life behind the scenes

Without citing the necessity to comment affirmatively or negatively to Mrs. Roosevelt's sexual preferences, I applaud her passion, her candor, and her immense capability to love; in spite of all the foul balls thrown her way by those closest to her. I believe that through all of the personal drama she was obliged to endure, she still saw the cup as half full. Mr. Rodger Streitmatter upholds the dignity of the First Lady.

I must say, however, Ms. Hickok left me a little cold. I do not think their relationship could endure in this day and age, even as we seemingly embrace a more open view of bi and homosexuality. Lorena, on her emotional rollercoaster, would have been a considerable liability for anyone of Eleanor's public stature.

If you read the letters and not the "explanations" of Streitmatter, you know that this was a classic love affair of the first order. Passionate, intense, full of high levels of emotion, intermixed with politics and social issues of the day. For anyone to read these letters and deny that these women enjoyed each others bodies as much as their minds is really outside the realm of human experience. The question of course that remains is the unequivocal statement by both John Kerrey and John Edwards in the debates in 2004 when they proclaimed that you are "born" a lesbian as they tried to make political points with the sexual orientation of Dick Cheney's daughter. Did Eleanor have a lesbian relationship with "Hick?" Most certainly. Was she born that way and have a "traditional" marriage with many kids fathered by FDR just as a cover? I doubt it, but who knows; which was Bush's much more honest answer in response to the "lesbian" question.

Was FDR a liar of the first order? He ran in 1940 for the unprecedented third term on the basis of never "sending American men to fight foreign wars" while planning to do so at the same time. Someone so deceitful was most certainly well practiced in the art while having affairs with women at the same time Eleanor was bearing his children. Did she turn to other women for the love that FDR failed to give her, or did he turn to other women because she was really "born" a lesbian. We will probably never know the truth of their relationship, but the letters between Eleanor and "Hick" are pure honest love. The only reason I don't give this book five stars is that the author gets in the way of the story.

A woman I knew so little about comes to life in this book. I generally don't like biographies or autobiographies but this one is the exception!! Order from Amazon to get it quick!!

Although the book plays the same coy games as all the others, it at least reports the facts.

No reasonable person could read these letters and accounts without drawing the obvious conclusion:

Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian.

Let me repeat:

Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian.

If we now live in a world where it's wrong to say there's anything wrong with that, why do those on the left continue to lie about this?

Grow up, everybody. Deal with it.