Customer Reviews

Eleanor Roosevelt : Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

I have read numerous books about Eleanor Roosevelt over the years, but none has gone into the detail of this wonderful author and scholar. Not only do I love reading about Eleanor Roosevelt, the woman, but about the turbulent times she lived in. I was bored in school to learn about the Depression, but in this book, it comes to life and one can't help but to read on.

I admired Eleanor Roosevelt for all the good works she did in her life, but have even more regard for her as a person because of reading Cook's biography.

I really enjoyed the first 2 volumes of Cook's biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt and cannot wait until the third volume is published.

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.

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

I enjoyed this book and learned a great deal about ER. Cook's account of ER's efforts on civil rights, Jewish refugees fleeing Europe, women's rights to employment, her role among FDR's closest advisers are all richly detailed in this book. It was interesting to learn about ER's social projects and her ambitions for improving people's lives. However, I thought Cook spent too much of the book on ER's intimate friendship with Lorena Hickok (although other readers might be looking for just that) and not enough on the Roosevelt Presidency. The writing was also sometimes not as lyrical as I hoped it would be. I would recommend this book to friends because it is a detailed biography, full of extensive research and a real work of love by the author.

At last, a real woman emerges who is Eleanor Roosevelt. She's been so idolized or hated for so long that it's refreshing to have a real human being written about with real understanding and compassion. Not only does the real Mrs. Roosevelt emerge from the past, but so does the real story of what the depression years were like. Not just selling apples on the street and soup lines, but a dynamic, serious time when we as a nation nearly lost our way. A must read.

I have to admit that I gave up on this book. I'm hoping to find a more readable biography of Mrs. Roosevelt. Cook's style and grammar are just too jumbled for me.

Look in the "look inside this book" section here and go to page 14. This is a prime example of Cook's overuse of quotes. I appreciate that she did her research, but if she was going to quote so much, she should have just included one whole article. As it is, the whole page is a mish-mash of sentances and words taken from various sources creating a confusing unreadable mess.

I consider this the best biography of Eleanor Roosevelt so far but wonder if the definitive volume has yet been written. The author has much sympathy for her subject and yet FDR and ER were trapped in a complicated marriage and in some sense were prisoners of that for their entire lives. Admirable? Or tragic?

A wonderful book about a great woman. I I was going to order The Triumph and the Glory until I saw this book had just come out and I HAD to have a copy. Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the finest human beings to grace this sorry world and everyone should read her life story and learn some wisdom. Cook's biography is very effective in bringing the real woman to life for generations who are unfamiliar with her