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Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life

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Until I read this biography, the name of Eleanor Roosevelt called to my mind a vague picture of a saintly woman who was married to FDR and who wrote magazine columns. After reading this outstanding scrapbook biography, I realize that this woman WAS the most influential woman in the history of our country. Fleming has presented much factual information about Eleanor and has arranged it to lead readers to a clear understanding of the character, personality, background, and motivations of this truly remarkable woman. The author presents relevant biographical information clearly and honestly, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions. Fleming's straightforward presentation does not condescend to young readers. Refreshing and all too rare in its honesty, this is an exceptional biography of a multi-talented social activist. Although written for young readers, I recommend it for all readers, young and old.

A perfectly written biography. Anyone interested in politics, women, American history, civil rights, human rights, and making a difference in the world MUST read this book. You will feel like you not only know her, but after reading, you'll feel that Eleanor is somewhere cheering you on in your life's endeavors as educators, librarians, sanitation workers, peacemakers, leaders, voters, human beings...

An incredible piece of writing about an awe-inspiring person.

" 'I always had the feeling from a very young age that I was ugly,' Eleanor wrote. This feeling came from her mother, who often gazed at her daughter coolly, as if she couldn't imagine having such a plain-looking, solemn-faced daughter. Forced to wear a back brace to correct a curvature of the spine, Eleanor knew 'as a child knows these things,' that her mother was bitterly disappointed in her physical features. 'I can remember,' wrote Eleanor, 'standing in the door, very often with my finger in my mouth which was, of course, forbidden--and I can see the look in her eyes and hear the tone in her voice as she said: "Come in, Granny." If a visitor was there, she might turn and say, "She is such a funny child, so old-fashioned that we always call her Granny." I wanted to sink through the floor in shame.'
"Eleanor tried desperately to please her mother. Small as she was, she often sat and rubbed [her mother] Anna's temples for hours on end, easing her migraine headaches. 'The feeling that I was useful,' Eleanor later said, 'was perhaps the greatest joy I experienced.' "

In the manner of American Idol, AOL and the Discovery Channel have been conducting an online process to determine "The Greatest American." Happening upon the poll containing the Final Five last week, and reading aloud to Shari what was being done, she grumbled in response to the fact that the remaining contestants were all men. I haven't yet dared to tell her which of those five men has since taken the top spot, thanks to 2.4 million online voters with the wisdom to believe that Ronald Reagan was a greater America than was MLK, Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin, or the dude with the wooden teeth.

If those participating in "The Greatest American" voting had had the wisdom to make sure that at least one American woman be present among those final contestants, who would have been the most likely female to fill such a spot? OUR ELEANOR provides readers with more than enough evidence for proposing that Eleanor Roosevelt be considered as one of the greatest of citizens in the history of America, irregardless of gender. Candace Fleming does a sensational job of recounting the amazing accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt, both in Eleanor's own right, and as the eyes, ears and often the conscience of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

But at least as important as unveiling the record of Eleanor's prodigious achievements on the national and world stage, the author succeeds brilliantly in revealing the real woman behind the public figure. Closely examined are the relationships with her parents, her husband, her children, her mother-in-law, her friends, and famous world leaders, as well as with the hundreds of thousands of nameless everyday people, both Americans and others, with whom she came in contact over her long, oftentimes difficult life.

"[Franklin's mother] Sara frequently made thoughtless. stinging comments that deeply hurt Eleanor. Once, in front of a dozen dinner guests, Sara turned to her daughter-in-law. 'If you'd just run a comb through your hair, dear,' she said, 'you'd look so much better.' Another time, during a luncheon party, Sara left Eleanor standing while she showed all the other guests to their seats. She was already serving the soup when she finally turned to her daughter-in-law. 'Oh, yes, Eleanor,' she said snidely, 'you sit there.
"With the births of Franklin and Eleanor's five children, Sara's interference became intolerable, causing terrible family friction. Sara spoiled them from infancy to adulthood with expensive presents--ponies, trips, cars, apartments. As one of the children put it long afterward, 'Granny's ace in the hole...was the fact that she held the pursestrings in the family.' Worse, Sara undercut Eleanor's authority and confidence by repeatedly calling the children hers. She once told little Jimmy, 'Your mother only bore you, I am more your mother than your mother is.' "

When the emotional and verbal abuse by her mother and then her mother-in-law led to serious difficulties in fulfilling her role as mother to her children, Eleanor eventually turned to mothering the American people through the Great Depression and World War II. A woman who wore through the soles of two pairs of shoes while meeting 400,000 servicemen during a five-week trip to the war-torn South Pacific of WWII, Eleanor is revealed by Ms. Fleming to be both a woman of her times and a woman who was driven to move far beyond those times to change the world to the benefit of all who have come since.

Speaking of driven:

"Independence-seeking Eleanor took up driving--an uncommon activity for women of her social class, who usually took taxis or rode in chauffeur-driven cars--in 1920. She had tried to learn years earlier, but an incident involving a car bumper and a gatepost had put her off. Now however, she longed to experience the freedom of driving. There were many mishaps. 'Your running into the ditch was all right,' Sara wrote her in 1922, 'so long as you were not hurt.' Still, Eleanor drove herself to church, to luncheons, to speaking events. Once, to her family's dismay, she even drove herself on a camping trip to Canada and reported only three minor accidents. Admitted her son James, 'Mother's driving was worse than anyone's.' She scraped, bumped, and banged her way down the road until 1946, the year she fell asleep behind the wheel. Her car veered across the highway, slammed into another vehicle head-on, then sideswiped one more. The accident cost Eleanor her two front teeth."

As with BEN FRANKLIN'S ALMANAC, the author's previous biography, OUR ELEANOR is written in a series of well-illustrated one- and two-page self-contained sections. Even more than with the Ben Franklin book, the various sections of the Eleanor "scrapbook" flow easily into one another to form an entertaining and enlightening narrative. Mixed right in with Eleanor's convincing her husband to disband the Japanese internment camps, her evolution from anti-Semite to supporter of Israel, her service at the United Nations, and her long career as a writer, are great stories about her attempt to be taught to use a gun in lieu of the Secret Service agent with whom she refused to be stuck, her support of public libraries, and the 3,271 page FBI file that J. Edgar Hoover compiled on her.

"On April 20, 1933, the world-famous aviator Amelia Earhart attended a dinner at the White House. Afterward she invited Eleanor along on an airplane flight from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore and back--the first lady's first night trip. Eager to show the public how easy and safe air travel was, Eleanor quickly agreed. Afterward reporters asked how it felt to be piloted by a woman. Eleanor replied, 'I'd give a lot to do it myself!' She did consider getting her own pilot's license, but Franklin vetoed the idea. 'I know how Eleanor drives a car,' he is reported to have said. 'Imagine her flying an airplane!' "

Time and time again I found that OUR ELEANOR: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S REMARKABLE LIFE revealed connections and relationships to scores of important people and events in American history. Eleanor worked for Women's Rights alongside Carrie Chapman Catt in the National League of Women Voters. Eleanor worked for Civil Rights, being a friend and supporter of Marian Anderson, raising money for the Southern Christian Leadership Council and working as an intermediary between President Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Eleanor worked for Human Rights, debating in private with Nikita Khrushchev and representing the US at the United Nations. Eleanor worked for Workers' Rights, riding two-and-a-half-miles down into a coal mine to observe conditions and then badgering her husband to improve them. Eleanor worked for the rights of prisoners, for the aged and infirm, and she never shied away from hanging out in public or private with friends or acquaintances because they were lesbians.

The life of Eleanor Roosevelt continues to provide inspiration for all women, from the First Ladies who have succeeded her to the girls in the inner cities, small towns, and suburbs who deal with boys still trying to tell them what they can and can't do.

You can keep the Gipper. I'll take OUR ELEANOR.

... but this one has been, for me.

I was actually moved to tears as I read some parts: Eleanor visiting troops in the South Pacific; Eleanor pleading for Israel's right to become a state, by 1948; her grief at Fala's death--what a foolish reporter, who commented that she was dry-eyed at FDR's death, but could weep when the dog died! Totally clueless person.

A monumental life, marked by all the human characteristics of failures, victories, heartaches, jubilations... she took little credit, and shouldered lots of blame.

I also find it noteworthy to look at the reactions of all the first ladies, after her, to Eleanor. Very telling, to my mind!

GREAT JOB! Best biography I have ever read!

This complete biography of Eleanor Roosevelt chronicles her early childhood to her years alone after Franklin's death in 1945. Her transition from an upper class woman to one fought for and espoused several social causes is well depicted. She actively canvassed for woman's rights and labour rights - particularly during the depression years. She supported African Americans in their struggle for racial equality. She participated in the making of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. This is a remarkable woman who made change a constant part of her life.

This book is well made with several illustrations. It is not just a coffee table book with pretty pictures. Several important people in Eleanor's life are well portrayed like Louis Howe, Lorena Hickock and Joseph Lash. However Harry Hopkins is overlooked. The author does speculate on Eleanor's sexual orientation and a possible affair with another man. She fortunately presents this in a non-judgemental manner. These are events of long ago and her husband was not known as the most attentive of human beings. Also mentioned is the immense file that the F.B.I. kept on Eleanor.

Also, regretfully, Franklin's mother, Sara, gets another poor portrayal as an overbearing and intrusive "mother-in-law". It is not pointed out that she provided extensive care for her grand-children over the years. Both Franklin and Eleanor were not particularly effective parents - they were young and naïve when they married and not well prepared for parenthood. Sara looked after her grand-children while both Franklin and Eleanor were pursuing their careers or vacationing. She was always available as a substitute parent. Candace Fleming and other authors have not given her credit for this. See "Sara and Eleanor" by Jan Pottker for a completely different point of view. And congratulations to 10-14 year olds who read this book (this is the age group cited on the dust jacket) - I am way beyond that age and the book appealed to me!

This is the book that inspired to read every biography that I could lay my heads on. A well-received birthday present, I read this through on one four-hour plane ride to Vail, Colorado. I was immediately enthralled by the beautiful pictures and beautifully written informative pieces. Fleming creates a perfect balance between intriguing photographs and information. She makes Eleanor into a real person, not some political angel that was sent to Earth to rescue the world from all evil. Eleanor was by no means perfect; she was, self-admittedly, a poor mother, and spent the early years of life disliking Jews. However, she grew into a kind, proactive, accepting woman that did all she could to help the people around her when her universe was falling apart. Despite a tumultuous early life with an alcoholic father and a disappointing personal wife with an adulterous husband, Eleanor made the best of what she had, and the world has her to thank for surviving some of its most difficult years. Fleming invokes much emotion in her readers, and skipping this book will surely be something you regret later on.

Eleanor Roosevelt was very like a diamond in the rough. She wasn't much to look at on the outside, but she was stunningly beautiful on the inside. She was strong, multi-faceted, rare, and flawed.

Author Candace Fleming did a wonderful job of showing all aspects of the amazing Mrs. Roosevelt, from her childhood to her death. This was a clearly unbiased portrait, backed by research and notes galore. Fleming does not patronize her young readers. She shows the good, the bad, and the ugly about one woman's life.

The best part about the book is its scrapbook style layout, which allows the reader to peek at little snippets at a time, or read long passages. Full of rare photographs, letters, and little known facts, this book is one of the best biographies I've ever read!

Reviewed by: Julie M. Prince

We older persons grew up with Franklin Delano Roosevelt as our thirty-second president, who at four terms was our longest serving. And we knew Eleanor his wife, who remained active nationally for many years after his death. Young people may not know much about her.

So, please come in, take a seat, and let me show you this scrapbook about Eleanor. Isn't her picture on the cover lovely? She was indeed a lovely person.

I had been wanting to show you Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life, by Candace Fleming.

The design and big size of the book are perfect. You can feel how heavy and semiglossy the paper is. As a hardback it is an enduring treasure.

There are photographs on practically every page. And much more. The many articles are well written and presented artfully on the page, the fonts are varied, and many thoughtful quotations of Eleanor's are included, for she did a lot of writing.

We learn that Eleanor was born to privilege, but had a hard childhood. Her mother, who was demeaning toward her, died when Eleanor was eight. "With my father I was perfectly happy," she wrote. But shortly before she was ten years old, her father also died, a suicide.

Eleanor's uncle and godfather was her father's older brother, Theodore Roosevelt, who became our twenty-sixth president. He instilled in her the importance of social responsibility and helping those less fortunate. Eleanor remained a humanitarian all her life.

She was first educated by tutor until almost fifteen and then sent to a school in England, where she met an enlightened teacher and developed a winning personality and many friends.

We follow Eleanor through marriage and children; through her husband Franklin's loss of the use of his legs from polio. As first lady during Franklin's long presidency, she traveled the country, becoming his "eyes and ears," since he could not travel easily, and reporting back to him with advice.

She continued teaching, lecturing, writing, and editing. In her sixties at the United Nations, she chaired the commission that created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Eleanor was intelligent and always a charming and hardworking lady.

Our Eleanor is for more mature children and for young adults. But older persons will also find the book interesting, insightful, and inspiring. Exciting even.