Eleanor and Franklin cronicles the evolution of Eleanor Roosevelt from an insecure girl and young woman into a woman who would impact the lives of many, many people. When visiting US installations during WWII, more than once she heard soldiers cry out "Hey, there's Eleanor!" She radiated warmth and compassion with a down-to-earth style that made people feel like she belonged to them in some way. In many ways she did belong to them. She lived her life in service of others because she truly cared about the condition of human beings and wanted to make their lives better. Very few people if any will argue that Eleanor Roosevelt was a remarkable person. However, it is easy to think that remarkable people are born that way. That plucked down in history at any time, they would have lived a similar life of accomplishment. This might be true, but I think often the difficulties in life are what bring out the best qualities in people. Mr. Lash takes the time to show us the circumstances in Eleanor's life that shaped and formed her into the remarkable woman she was. Lash takes considerable time explaining the dynamics of Eleanor's childhood. Her father Elliot was the brother of president Theodore Roosevelt. Her mother Anne Hall was decended from the prestigious Ludlow and Livingston families. They were the darlings of society when Society was small and intimate. Anne along with her sisters were celebrated beauties and Elliot had a vibrant and out-going personality. Eleanor, a serious child, was not a beauty and was made aware of this by her mother and her aunts. She worshipped her father who was fun-loving and the light of her life. But her childhood was short-lived. Her father was an alcoholic and unstable emotionally. It eventually became necessary for Anne to leave him and take Eleanor and her brother Hall. As difficult as this was, it was compounded when both of her parents died leaving Eleanor and Hall in the custody of Anne's mother. Here she grew up in the shadow of aunts and uncles who had there own problems. When Eleanor married Franklin, she was an insecure young woman eager to please. Although Franklin loved Eleanor, she always longed for a depth of intimacy that he was unable to meet. Her mother-in-law Sara Delano Roosevelt was very domineering, and although she was always very nice to Eleanor, she was determined to have her way and direct the course of her only son's life if at all possible. She would be a constant presence in their lives, always in the background criticizing and trying to direct until the day she died. Eleanor gradually broke free of this, but it wasn't until they were in the White House that she really started blossoming. Eleanor and Franklin covers Eleanor's childhood, her life as a young wife and mother, her role as Franklin emerged as a leader in politics, and their life together at the White House. Lash uses Eleanor's correspondence and published writings to show how she dealt with becoming a public personality, raising her children with her mother-in-law constantly in the background, Franklin's infidelity, and finally the difficult years in the White House where she made the "office" of First Lady something it had never been before. She was criticized as much as she was loved. She often felt that it was her duty to tell Franklin things that others around him would not say, in a way to be his conscience. Many thought she was butting in where she didn't belong. By the time Franklin was president, they no longer had the traditional marriage. She said to intimate friends that she was no longer in love with him, but she served him in love. It was a role that many women couldn't have tolerated. There were other women in his life that gave him space to relax and laugh. Eleanor couldn't give him that, but she gave what she could, a view to the world that he didn't have. She was an advocate for women, African-Americans, youth, soldiers, anyone who asked. There were times when she was taken advantage of. She knew this, but had to help if she could. The book is dense. It is filled with details but is very readable. Expect to give it some time. It is a must read if you want to understand Eleanor Roosevelt, but also gives you a different perspective of FDR's presidency. Eleanor and Franklin ends with Franklin's death in the spring of 1945. Mr. Lash has written a sequel Eleanor: The Years Alone. I haven't read it yet, but you can be sure I will.
After Eleanor Roosevelt's death, her children gave family friend Joseph Lash, who had already written a memoir on Eleanor, her private papers with the hopes that he could compile them into a book. An incredibly daunting task, and I applaud his efforts. However, if you're going to call a book Eleanor and Franklin, and subtitle it with the claim that it's the story of their relationship, maybe you should begin with their relationship, and not with Eleanor's childhood. Sure, there was a lot of great stuff, letters she'd written to friend and family, including her uncle TR, but maybe write a separate book on that. In fact, there could have been at least three books made out of this one. Honestly, it was information overload for much of the book. Things that were interesting for the author were, at times, dull for the reader, especially when it came to policy that Eleanor had a hand in. For research purposes, this is a good source, but if you just want to read a pleasurable biography on either Eleanor or Franklin, there are better ones out there. You can start with Eleanor's own autobiography.
What do You think about Eleanor And Franklin (2014)?
I first read this book in the early 70s when I was your typical 20+-year old idealist and not political savvy. What I took away from the book was Eleanor's fight for equal rights for the black race and Franklin staying in the background because of the southern Democrats. Fast forward to now: I'm no longer the idealist. Because I'm older now, I found it so interesting to discover that the political fight back then very much parallels the arguments still used today. I still admire her but because she walked the talk ... The author admits he knew her and they believed in the same causes, but I feel he did an accurate portrayal. He backed the events with references, letters that she wrote, diary entries from others. I was disappointed minimal was said in regards to the Japanese interment, though ... Her thoughts on that would have been interesting. I highly recommend the book, especially to those who not only have an interest in history, but also political viewpoints.
—Jean
HOORAY! I FOUND THIS BOOK under the seat of my car! It wasn't even my children's fault! (Ahem.) ***July 21, 2009 Update:Book MISSING! I mean, where does a book go? I haven't seen it for weeks, nay, months! and would really like to get beyond the first chapter on this one... at this rate I may never never know anything about the Roosevelts.***I can't seem to make it through a book lately. Either the story is weak or the writing is... or maybe it's just me. So my dad being my dad trotted up to his book-lined study this week and pulled a few off the shelf that he thought may get me back in the swing. I know so little about Eleanor Roosevelt - and the whole era. So far: fascinating, and very well written.
—Sus
I learned so much reading this book! The author does a great job of bouncing around between history, politics, ethics, and common human experiences. You are left with a sense of awe at the person portrayed as Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a woman of incredible energy and conviction, and definitely had much to do with the success of her husband. And though the author was a personal friend of Mrs. Roosevelt, he still paints a realistic picture of her strengths and weaknesses as a person in this well-documented, enthralling narrative.
—Luke
