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beatniksafari's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly intimate look at a public figure. I'd known about Eleanor Roosevelt's good works during and after her husband's presidency, but nothing about her life as a wife, mother, and human being out of the public eye. Through newspaper clippings and rarely seen photographs, Fleming takes the reader inside Roosevelt's life. The format of the book, broken into short sidebar-style pieces focused around a single topic or event, causes the narrative to feel a little disjointed. Fleming also chose to divide the chapters by topic rather than chronologically, resulting in some confusion as the events ping-pong back and forth across decades. I wouldn't recommend the book to introduce the life of Eleanor Roosevelt to a complete beginner, but rather to enhance study for a reader with some background knowledge.
munchin's review against another edition
5.0
This is such an excellent book. The style of telling Eleanor Roosevelt's story is quite original and surprisingly effective. The use of documents like pictures and letters and report cards significantly enhanced the experience. This is about as enthralling as historical biographies can get. And she was a more fascinating and compelling woman than I even imagined. Highest praise!
bhrogan's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book because it was very factual, yet interesting. It also had a lot of great pictures.
bdietrich's review
4.0
Read for 5420 class
A very complete look at Eleanor Roosevelt's life from childhood through her death and her legacy. I learned a lot about her; her impact on the role of First Lady; how she was FDR's "eyes and ears", especially in regards to the every(wo)man; and the tireless work she did to help those most affected by the calamity of the decade, whether that be the Great Depression or WWII.
Author Candace Fleming does a fairly good job of presenting an objective version of Eleanor, including all of the humanitarian work she did, but also not shirking how Eleanor wasn't the best mother.
Includes an extensive bibliography, showcasing the copious research Fleming performed to write this scrapbook autobiography.
I'm not usually a fan of biographies, but this one was decent and well-written/presented. The scrapbook format helped keep me turning the pages as biographers have a habit of not knowing when to shut up concerning their subject.
A very complete look at Eleanor Roosevelt's life from childhood through her death and her legacy. I learned a lot about her; her impact on the role of First Lady; how she was FDR's "eyes and ears", especially in regards to the every(wo)man; and the tireless work she did to help those most affected by the calamity of the decade, whether that be the Great Depression or WWII.
Author Candace Fleming does a fairly good job of presenting an objective version of Eleanor, including all of the humanitarian work she did, but also not shirking how Eleanor wasn't the best mother.
Includes an extensive bibliography, showcasing the copious research Fleming performed to write this scrapbook autobiography.
I'm not usually a fan of biographies, but this one was decent and well-written/presented. The scrapbook format helped keep me turning the pages as biographers have a habit of not knowing when to shut up concerning their subject.
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