With Love, Aunt Eleanor: Stories from My Life with the First Lady of the World [Hardcover]

Eleanor Roosevelt II (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0974301701 | ISBN-13: 978-0974301709 | Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Eleanor Roosevelt’s niece celebrates the life and personality of her inimitable, groundbreaking aunt in this definitive collection of anecdotes and photographs. Previously unpublished, firsthand accounts, such as the time Roosevelt served hot dogs to the king and queen of England and how she learned to dive at the age of 60, reveal the exuberance and spontaneity with which she lived. Her niece details Roosevelt’s entire life, from her awkward girlhood to the busy schedule she kept until her death in 1962. More than 180 duotones and handwritten notes complete this intimate portrait of the celebrated First Lady’s life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This nostalgic book combines antique b&w and sepia-toned photographs with remembrances about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, offering a charming portrait of a woman and an era. The author, whose father was the First Lady’s brother, enjoyed a close relationship with her aunt for 42 years, and her book has the feel of a highly personal family scrapbook. The author divulges the challenges that come with being named Eleanor Roosevelt, the Second, the least of which is her difficulty ordering pizza for delivery ("there is always a pause before the young man says, ‘Lady, you better come down here and pick up the pizza yourself’"). Jokes aside, Roosevelt shares little-known aspects of her aunt’s life that ring with simplicity and reveal the politician’s charm. She writes lovingly of her first recollection of her aunt ("A very tall figure stood framed in a big doorway, welcoming me with open arms"), a boat trip down the Hudson River with Aunt Eleanor and Edward R. Murrow, and picking flowers with Aunt Eleanor in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. A fine choice for Roosevelt devotees, this book may be too personal in its scope to lure other readers. 180 duotones, 15 line drawings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Eleanor Roosevelt is revered around the world for her human rights advocacy, but she was extremely complicated, and everyone who writes about her describes a somewhat different person. Eleanor Roosevelt II is Eleanor's eldest niece, and she joyfully documents their close relationship in this handsome, scrapbook-like volume. A treasury of wonderfully informal photographs accompany Eleanor II's lively, often funny, but always discerning anecdotes, tales that offer a humanizing portrait of a beloved yet controversial public figure. Eleanor included her niece, and, later, her niece's children, in her life both in New York City and at Val-Kill, her Hyde Park home, no matter how busy she was, and Eleanor II succinctly and effectively captures both her aunt's modesty and the enormous sphere of her passions and achievements. And when she remembers her aunt chairing the UN commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all speculation about Eleanor's tiffs with her mother-in-law are put firmly in perspective. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Scrapbook Press (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974301701
• ISBN-13: 978-0974301709
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,109,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting blend of the personal and political life of Eleanor Roosevelt, December 12, 2005

By 

Rick Sheridan "AudioColumn.com" (Xenia, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: With Love, Aunt Eleanor: Stories from My Life with the First Lady of the World (Hardcover)

Here is an interesting and inspiring book that blends the personal and political life of Eleanor Roosevelt, from her niece and namesake, a person who knew her better than virtually anyone alive today. Filled with lots of vintage photos and personal stories.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With Love, Aunt Eleanor, January 31, 2005

By 

Kenneth Kamm (Sycamore, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: With Love, Aunt Eleanor: Stories from My Life with the First Lady of the World (Hardcover)

Highly Recommended To Any Person Who Has Interest In Eleanor Roosevelt. Author Gives A Personal Look At Her Aunt & Namesake.
Many Interesting Photos