What I’m Reading: Eleanor
Roosevelt of course.
I always sensed there was something interesting about Eleanor Roosevelt so as I find myself seeking more non-fiction materials in my reading list, I picked up this biograhy of her from David Michaelis.
Even though it’s non-fiction and super well documented/referenced, it was such a page turner, I couldn’t put it down. It was well written and her life is so interesting that couldn’t wait to find out ‘what does she do next!’. I have really come to have a huge appreciation for this great lady and all she did on both a personal and global level. These days, everyone I talk to comes away with some Eleanor stories/facts such as:
- SHE is Theodore Roosevelt’s niece (her father’s brother), NOT FDR. Franklin was her fifth cousin, which is not gross for those of you who don’t get the second, third cousins stuff. Trust me, it’s distant.
- As a young woman she was a member of an Anti-Suffragette league, she then went on to be a great feminist and did a lot for the advancement of women.
- Similarly, she was also casually racist in the way that everyone around her was, she then also went on to do a lot of advocacy work for many minority groups and was a great supporter/friend of NAACP.
- She was offered and turned down the Vice Presidency when Truman ran for re-election (we almost had a female VP WAY back then!). And before you attack her for what could’ve been – she turned it down because she felt like she could have a greater impact in the work she was doing in the UN.
- Even though she was a privileged Roosevelt, she had a rough childhood full of neglect, instability and alcoholism (her father + uncles, not her), as a result she suffered from a severe lack of self-confidence until the end, never feeling qualified or lovable enough or worthy, which made her heart-breakingly relatable.
- I loved that she understood her impacts could be great at a national and then world level but she also really understood the interpersonal impacts she could have – by personally serving sandwiches to soldiers on their way to the front lines of Europe and going to the Pacific Islands to visit the soldiers at the front lines of WWII in Asia (who felt very neglected). The General in charge at first was loathing her visit and having to ‘babysit a VIP’ and in the end said that her visit was the single greatest moral booster to his soldiers.
I started to think of her as a real-life modern saint. But is worth noting that the author clearly adores her as a great, saint-like woman – so that’s definitely what he wanted me to think too. Also, you will be hard-pressed to find anything negative in here about her. For example, many of the really close relationships she had completely fade away without a word and very little is said of her children. It’s an interesting omission and makes me curious why…is the author covering something that reveals a less saintly version of Eleanor? Or did he just not find it relevant?
Also, the author clearly feels defensive of Eleanor, so isn’t a big fan of Franklin and doesn’t paint him in the greatest light. I’m interested in reading more about both of them from other sources to learn more and see whether this was fair or not.