Books by Eleanor Roosevelt

At once a heart-wrenching personal narrative and a unique historical document, The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt is the ultimate example of the personal as political.Eleanor Roosevelt stands as one of the world's greatest humanitarians, having dedicated her remarkable life to the liberty and equality of all people. In this sincere and frank self-portrait she recounts her childhood - marked by the death of her mother and separation from the rest of her family at age seven - her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt; and the challenges of motherhood, including the tragic death of her second son, all of which occurred before her twenty-fifth birthday.It wasn't till her thirties that Eleanor Roosevelt began the life for which she is known. A committed supporter of women's suffrage, architect of the welfare state, leader of the UN Commission on Human Rights and author of the Declaration of Human Rights, as well as being a prolific writer, diplomat, visionary, pacifist and committed social activist, hers is the story of the twentieth century.

"Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted her husband to run for president. When he won, she . . . went on a national tour to crusade on behalf of women. She wrote a regular newspaper column. She became a champion of women''s rights and of civil rights. And she decided to write a book."--Jill Lepore, from the Introduction"Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world," Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in It''s Up to the Women, her book of advice to women of all ages on every aspect of life. Written at the height of the Great Depression, she called on women particularly to do their part--cutting costs where needed, spending reasonably, and taking personal responsibility for keeping the economy going.Whether it''s the recommendation that working women take time for themselves in order to fully enjoy time spent with their families, recipes for cheap but wholesome home-cooked meals, or America''s obligation to women as they take a leading role in the new social order, many of the opinions expressed here are as fresh as if they were written today.

These letters reveal a dimension of her personality often lost in collections of letters to family members and friends, that of a shrewd, self-confident woman unafraid to speak her mind. Some letters demonstrate her commitment to civil rights, many her understanding of Cold War politics, and still others her support of labor unions.

More than two hundred columns, articles, essays, speeches, and letters, tracing ER's development from timorous columnist to one of liberalism's most eloquent and outspoken leaders. From My Day columns on Marian Anderson, excerpts from Moral Basis of Democracy and This Troubled World, to speeches and articles on the Holocaust and McCarthyism.

A guide to living a fuller life. It provides the following keys to a fulfilling life: Learning to Learn; Fear - the Great Enemy; The Uses of Time; The Difficult Art of Maturity; Readjustment is endless; learning to Be Useful; the right to Be an individual; how to Get the Best out of People; Facing responsibility; and, more.

This carries on the autobiography begun in This Is My Story, published in 1937, and carrying her life up to her husband's election as Governor of New York. There has been eager curiosity-and some concern- about the possible revelations this second volume (which ends with his death) might make. Reading the script convinces this reader, at least, that its popularity will rest, not on such revelations (for actually there are none of anything other than human values)- but on the sheer simplicity and bigness of the woman herself. Even her detractors, if they approach the book objectively, will have to confess that many of the fantastic criticisms to which she has been subjected collapse before the honest analysis of her relations to her job as the wife of a president who was unable to cover all the areas of human contact his role dictated. Mrs. Roosevelt, without too obviously setting herself the task of correcting misapprehensions, almost naively reveals the reasons for her incessant journeyings- and what they achieved; the fundamental needs in herself for her numerous activities- and the use to which the financial returns were put; her official duties as President's wife, White House hostess, wife, mother, and a woman in her own right. One sees her as a very great, very simple person, living in keen awareness of the demands made upon her and the importance of meeting them, no matter what interpretation they might be subjected to. It is in these roles that she presents herself in the pages of this book. Inevitably, the President himself is integral to the whole pattern of her life. She sees herself as sometimes his sounding board; as often in the position of presenting the opposition; as eyes and ears and legs-a good reporter. But she denies any feeling that she affected his thinking, his actions. She understood him profoundly, and interprets much that is puzzling to those with whom he came in contact. She is honest, frequently, as to her personal reactions to some in high places; as to her disappointments at some of the decisions made, the compromises necessitated. She takes one behind the scenes on a personal level- but never does she reveal state secrets, rather does she interpret the moods, the circumstances, the personalities. A very human, an unpretentiously humble document in the story of our First Lady during 12 vital years. (Kirkus Reviews)