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jsorense's review
4.0
I was drawn to this book after reading that Eleanor Roosevelt had been an outspoken proponent of racial equality while her husband was in office, when her position would have been politically controversial. I wanted to learn more about her political activism and her views on human rights more generally. One surprising conclusion I drew from her autobiography was that for most of her life she didn’t see herself as much of an activist at all - she gives an impression more of someone who has a deep personal compassion for other humans but who merely expresses her views frankly when asked, rather than of someone trying to change the world (however, she did have regular newspaper columns, frequent speeches, and later in life was heavily involved in the UN).
I have read a couple reviews that found the book boring and can understand this criticism though I didn't feel bored myself. For as many important people as she encountered in life she spends much of her time talking about the logistics of preparing for guests. I found the book calming and cathartic in an almost old-fashioned way. I really enjoyed reading it.
I don't think this book would be well suited for someone who wants to learn the major historical events she was present for - these events seemed more like familiar landmarks than the focus of the story. I would read it for:
* the way it captures the feeling of a culture and moment in time
* a story about how one person matured and grew as a human being
* a reminder of the compassion we should strive to show others
I have read a couple reviews that found the book boring and can understand this criticism though I didn't feel bored myself. For as many important people as she encountered in life she spends much of her time talking about the logistics of preparing for guests. I found the book calming and cathartic in an almost old-fashioned way. I really enjoyed reading it.
I don't think this book would be well suited for someone who wants to learn the major historical events she was present for - these events seemed more like familiar landmarks than the focus of the story. I would read it for:
* the way it captures the feeling of a culture and moment in time
* a story about how one person matured and grew as a human being
* a reminder of the compassion we should strive to show others
cemoses's review
5.0
Very well written and very candid considering she was First Lady when she wrote the book. It gives a very interesting picture of upper class life at the turn of the century and how Eleanor Roosevelt rebelled against much of her upbringing.
sunniedey's review
5.0
A history teacher I met at work recommended that I read anything about Eleanor Roosevelt. I read this book and ended in awe of this incredible woman. She did so much in her life.
mlsweeten's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
It took me a while to finish this one. I adore Eleanor Roosevelt and found myself making notes of my favorite quotes in her book. She was very proper and stoic, so at times the writing is all factual and lacking emotion. I enjoyed hearing about her travels. She was able to feel comfortable with European royalty or poor West Virginian miners. She seemed to be able to understand all different types of people from all kinds of backgrounds.
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
5.0
“My Grandfather Hall’s great interest was in the study of theology, and in his library were a number of books dealing with religion. Most of them were of little interest to me as a child but the Bible, illustrated by Dore, occupied many hours and gave me many nightmares.”
The more I read about Eleanor Roosevelt the more impressed I become—not because of what she accomplished courtesy of her affluent upbringing and upper crust advantages, but what she accomplished in spite of all those things.
A Mind of Her Own
For me, this book became exceptional in its second half. Sure Eleanor’s childhood and coming of age was interesting, but only in how it chronicled her evolution. For me this remarkable woman really came into her own after she, as America’s First Lady, came to realize that she was much more than just a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and its mapped-out agendas. She supported the causes of her own choosing even when, quite often, those causes were extremely unpopular with certain southern legislators.
On Racism and Social Justice
“I had been hesitant about going anywhere in the south because my conviction that the colored people should have full civil rights had, over the years, aroused a good deal of feeling there. This hostility found an outlet particularly in election years…”
Eleanor Roosevelt pushed for the anti-lynching law and the elimination of the poll tax. She was attacked in the press for attending a meeting of the WPA workers in Indiana and was later fervently opposed in her position as a United Nations Delegate by none other than Mississippi Senator Theodore Gilmore Bilbo—himself a demagogue white supremest and a card carrying member of the KKK (see his published pro-segregation work, Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization, 1947).
When JFK’s Catholicism Became Fodder for His Political Opponents…
“One feature of the campaign that dismayed and shamed me was the injection of the religious issue . . . Nothing quite so vicious happened during the 1960 campaign, but the ugly feature was that it should arise at all. The question seems to me fairly simple; the constitution gives us all religious freedom and we are not to be questioned about our religious beliefs . . . we have a constitution which expressly provides for the separation of church and state.”
On Theocracy
“It is, I am afraid, true that frequently various religious groups endeavor to exert pressures and control over different legislative and educational fields. It is the job of all of us to be alert for such infringement of our prerogatives and prevent any such attempts from being successful. Like all our freedoms, this freedom from religious group pressure must be constantly defended [emphasis mine].” -Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, 1961
She deserves 5 stars for that quote alone.
The more I read about Eleanor Roosevelt the more impressed I become—not because of what she accomplished courtesy of her affluent upbringing and upper crust advantages, but what she accomplished in spite of all those things.
A Mind of Her Own
For me, this book became exceptional in its second half. Sure Eleanor’s childhood and coming of age was interesting, but only in how it chronicled her evolution. For me this remarkable woman really came into her own after she, as America’s First Lady, came to realize that she was much more than just a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and its mapped-out agendas. She supported the causes of her own choosing even when, quite often, those causes were extremely unpopular with certain southern legislators.
On Racism and Social Justice
“I had been hesitant about going anywhere in the south because my conviction that the colored people should have full civil rights had, over the years, aroused a good deal of feeling there. This hostility found an outlet particularly in election years…”
Eleanor Roosevelt pushed for the anti-lynching law and the elimination of the poll tax. She was attacked in the press for attending a meeting of the WPA workers in Indiana and was later fervently opposed in her position as a United Nations Delegate by none other than Mississippi Senator Theodore Gilmore Bilbo—himself a demagogue white supremest and a card carrying member of the KKK (see his published pro-segregation work, Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization, 1947).
When JFK’s Catholicism Became Fodder for His Political Opponents…
“One feature of the campaign that dismayed and shamed me was the injection of the religious issue . . . Nothing quite so vicious happened during the 1960 campaign, but the ugly feature was that it should arise at all. The question seems to me fairly simple; the constitution gives us all religious freedom and we are not to be questioned about our religious beliefs . . . we have a constitution which expressly provides for the separation of church and state.”
On Theocracy
“It is, I am afraid, true that frequently various religious groups endeavor to exert pressures and control over different legislative and educational fields. It is the job of all of us to be alert for such infringement of our prerogatives and prevent any such attempts from being successful. Like all our freedoms, this freedom from religious group pressure must be constantly defended [emphasis mine].” -Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, 1961
She deserves 5 stars for that quote alone.
carolineinthelibrary's review
5.0
Eleanor Roosevelt was an incredible person and this book is proof. Her words are insightful and inspiring. It was alarming how many situations she was in that are so similar to the world today. I highly recommend this to any history buff, feminist, or fan of Eleanor Roosevelt.
cseibs's review
2.0
Eleanor Roosevelt is by no means a literary master, but her story was intriguing and worth the read. I enjoyed how the autobiography evolved as she evolved. Her descriptions of her early life were straightforward and without introspection. As she matured and found her own voice, her life and her story became more personal and opinionated. While much of the book was guarded in the way that the wife of a president must be, her perspectives at times were quite interesting, especially her vehement anti-Communist standpoint later in life.
hedgehogreads01's review
4.0
This book pushed me to look for any other books about ER (e.g. her mailing with Lorena Hickok). Because in her own bio she acts as she did nothing very significant in her life, which is not true at all. The tone is not the one of a very confident person I believe she was.
So I am looking forward to read more about ER, but written by others :)
So I am looking forward to read more about ER, but written by others :)