Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Amazon.com

A beloved classic since its initial publication in 1947, this vivid, insightful journal is a fitting memorial to the gifted Jewish teenager who died at Bergen-Belsen, Germany, in 1945. Born in 1929, Anne Frank received a blank diary on her 13th birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Her marvelously detailed, engagingly personal entries chronicle 25 trying months of claustrophobic, quarrelsome intimacy with her parents, sister, a second family, and a middle-aged dentist who has little tolerance for Anne's vivacity. The diary's universal appeal stems from its riveting blend of the grubby particulars of life during wartime (scant, bad food; shabby, outgrown clothes that can't be replaced; constant fear of discovery) and candid discussion of emotions familiar to every adolescent (everyone criticizes me, no one sees my real nature, when will I be loved?). Yet Frank was no ordinary teen: the later entries reveal a sense of compassion and a spiritual depth remarkable in a girl barely 15. Her death epitomizes the madness of the Holocaust, but for the millions who meet Anne through her diary, it is also a very individual loss. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic -- a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Customer Reviews:

Ann Frank.......2007-10-05

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition is the diary Anne Frank a young Jewish girl growing up during World War II and the holocaust. Anne lives in Amsterdam with her mother, father, and sister Margot. When Anne is 13 she and her family must go into hiding to escape the Germans call ups, particularly one for Margot. They hide in the back of a warehouse where Otto (Anne's father) works. There are seven people at the beginning including the three van Daans an Anne and her family.
The diary reminds me of The Breadwinner which is about a young girl growing up in Afghanistan during the Taliban's rule. The main character must dress up as a boy when her father is arrested to earn money for her family. Unlike Anne's diary however this was written in modern day. They both had trouble getting food that they needed and lived in fear of getting arrested. Although they lived in different times the experiences of the girls were similar
After a bit Albert Dussel, a dentist, joins the group in, as it came to be known, the Secret Annex. Dussel became a bit annoying when he starts hiding food when the rest of the group need to get coupon books through the black market and are eating rotten potatoes and other foods. He did however give them dental checkups. Anne shared a room with Dussel when he came (before she shared with Margot) and was frequently woken up when he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. "Mr. Dussel's Toilet Timetable" is some thing that Anne tacks to the bathroom door. "I might well have added "Transgressors will be subject to confinement!" Because our bathroom can be locked from both the inside and the outside." Is something Anne writes after the timetable.
Anne also makes friends with Peter van Dan and spends quite a few evenings in his attic bedroom because it has the only window that's not covered by a curtain. They become valuable resources for each other.
All in all this is a very good book and I highly recommend it.

Amazing diary of a young woman .......2007-10-01

Anne Frank is remembered for being a sweet young girl that went into hiding during the holocaust only to be found and sent to a concentration camp where she died 3 months befroe her 16th birthday. The time in between these two horrible events is full of fear, fights,learning, and love, basically life. This version of the diary has more material than the orginal, which some people think is too much, but it is what she wrote left alone. It has what she intended the book to be. It includes story from the restrictions put on her while she wasn't in hiding because she was Jewish to her chores that she did quietly in the Secret Annex such as peeling potatoes and rubbing beans. It is not always the most interesting book, but it does provoke thought. It's sad in the fact that you know how its going to end before you start, but Anne does not as she's wrting it. Anne Frank's writing surpass her age, she writes not as a stuborn teenager, but as an intelligent young woman.

A Powerful and Intimate Portrait.......2007-09-30

You know the storyline - a Jewish girl, her family, and some friends go into hiding for two years during the Nazi regime in Holland. Said girl writes her thoughts and observations of her life during this time in a diary, which is found and published after her death in a concentration camp. It has become a classic, and it was written by a young teenager.

My favorite aspect of this book will forever be Anne's powerful narrative voice. Her words speak, and more than that they smell and taste and touch. She gives her diary, "Kitty," an intimate portrait of life in the "Secret Annexe," both public and private - of the ups-and-downs of people's relationships, of her inner struggles and growth, of her love. Reading her diary is like looking through the window at the war from two perspectives - one from the outside in, at the life of a girl and a family who were sucked into the Nazi vacuum through no fault of their own; and the other from the inside out, at the crazy world war swirling around the epicenter of one fourteen-year-old girl.

Book Report: Diary of a Young Girl.......2007-09-30

This book tells an amazing story of a young girl living in Germany in World War II. And to think it was all a journal is amazing. Anne Frank, a brave young Jewish girl, spends two years hiding in the secret annex from the Nazis. Anne Frank started to keep this diary on her thirteenth birthday. She called her diary, Kitty. At the start of her diary, Anne describes fairly typical experiences, writing about her friendships with other girls, her crushes on boys.
Later, the Franks had moved to the Netherlands in the years leading up to World War II to escape persecution in Germany. They were forced into hiding with another family, the van Daans. There, they listened closely to the radio and everything that happened during the war. Anne kept up with everything that happened while she was there. It was very hard for her because she was separated from all her friends and her normal life style.
I suggest this book for all ages. It is a very inspirational story. It gives a different perspective on life.
-Hayley Robertson
6th period
10/4/07

Very interesting.......2007-09-26

Very interesting. I bought it for my sister. I already read the book, it is very nice and it has all the information need it.

Average customer rating:

Good sound advice
You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt
You Learn by Living , Eleanor Roosevelt
Everyone should read this book
You Learn By Living Eleven Keys For A More Fulfilling Life

You Learn by Living
Eleanor Roosevelt
Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Applied Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Wisdom Of Eleanor Roosevelt (Wisdom Library)
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Quality Paperbacks Series)
My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962
Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933

ASIN: 0664244947

Customer Reviews:

Good sound advice.......2007-08-27

My mother told me she had the opportunity to go listen to Eleanor Roosevelt give a talk at her college during the 1930's. She said Mrs. Roosevelt was a powerful and inspriational speaker, while at the same time seem like a next door neighbor.

After reading this book, I have to agree with my mother (don't tell her that!). This book is filled lots of very practical and useful ideas for everyday living. I would recommend this book for high school reading and then have them re-read it about tens after graduation.

You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt.......2007-08-23

I enjoyed the book very much. I am quite an Eleanor Roosevelt admirer and found much of what was in the book to be ageless in its presentation. It is a book I intend to give to my granddaughter.

You Learn by Living , Eleanor Roosevelt.......2007-04-10

This is a excellent book for any graduate, no matter what stage of life.
Eleanor Roosevelt offers advice on how to be the best person one can be.
Even at middle age I found this book to be very inspirational at this stage of my life. Live life to the fullest.

Everyone should read this book.......2003-07-26

This is a little-known but delightful gem of a book. The inimitable Eleanor Roosevelt was a prolific author, but this effort is among her very best. Forged by adversity throughout her life, Eleanor was born into a privileged, wealthy family. Her father, Elliot, was Theodore Roosevelt's brother.

My favorite chapter is "The Right to Be an Individual." Mrs. Roosevelt stresses that individuality is something to be prized, yet people want to remain safe, surrounded by a group. She stresses we should strive against this and always be true to ourselves. This is a simple, yet eloquent philosophy. The entire book is full of wit, wisdom and some profound bits of advice. I am a better person for having read this book and I think everyone can take something meaningful from its pages.

You Learn By Living Eleven Keys For A More Fulfilling Life.......2002-09-29

In this wise and highly personal book, one of the twentieth century's most famous and beloved first ladies - Eleanor Roosevelt - offers advice on how to create a satisfying life.

Offering her own philosophy on living, the woman who was called Fist Lady to the World leads readers on a path to confidence, education, maturity, and more.

You Learn By Living is a book that remains fascinating, inspirational, and relevant to late - twentieth - century readers.

The keys to the kind of life Mrs. Roosevelt describes are:

- Learning to Learn
- Fear the Great Enemy
- The Uses of Time
- The Difficult Art of Maturity
- Readjustments Is Endless
- Learning to Be Useful
- The Right to Be an Individual
- How to Get the Best Out of People
- Facing Responsibility
- How Everyone Can Take Part in Politics
- Learning to Be a Public Servant

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
Average customer rating:

Well written, high level look at FDR's later Years

No Ordinary Viewpoint

Extrordinary Leaders for "No Ordinary Time"

Not my type of book

A glimpse of my grandparents

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Roosevelt, Eleanor | ( R ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Home Front | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Team of Rivals

Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream

Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir

Truman Truman

The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga

ASIN: 0684804484

Amazon.com

A compelling chronicle of a nation and its leaders during the period when modern America was created. With an uncanny feel for detail and a novelist's grasp of drama and depth, Doris Kearns Goodwin brilliantly narrates the interrelationship between the inner workings of the Roosevelt White House and the destiny of the United States. Goodwin paints a comprehensive, intimate portrait that fills in a historical gap in the story of our nation under the Roosevelts.

Book Description

No Ordinary Time is a monumental work, a brilliantly conceived chronicle of one of the most vibrant and revolutionary periods in the history of the United States. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin masterfully weaves together a striking number of story lines--Eleanor and Franklin's marriage and remarkable partnership, Eleanor's life as First Lady, and FDR's White House and its impact on America as well as on a world at war. Goodwin effectively melds these details and stories into an unforgettable and intimate portrait of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt and of the time during which a new, modern America was born.

Customer Reviews:

Well written, high level look at FDR's later Years.......2007-09-23

Having read many of the reviews written here, I think that it is important to first state that I am very conservative both economically and politically. Having said that, I want to make sure that it is understood that I am not judging the FDR Presidency, just this book.

This is my first real historical look at this time frame in American history and I felt that this book was a very good start from which to look into other avenues of interest during the war years. It is important to keep in mind that the earlier FDR years do not come into the focus of this work. This would not be a good book to judge FDR and the New Deal. It sticks with the years 1940 until FDR's death in 1945.

The book is well written and easy to read. It definitely lacks an in depth look at the "whys" of the FDR decision process. I would have liked to have learned more about the actual war decisions, but in reading the subthe title of the book, it is clear that the focus is about the homefront, not necessarily the war efforts abroad. The internal fighting and family relationships are discussed at length. Eleanor is given a front and center position in this work. I really would have liked to see more of FDR and how the decisions for various strategies were found.

There is a liberal bias to the book, but maybe that's my conservative stance showing. Nothing is mentioned in the book other than two sentences about Vice President Wallace. FDR is made to be a Superman, when it could have been read as FDR was merely a dictator that was elected. Without the effect of the decision process, the impression is that all decisions were FDR's alone. And while that may have been the case, the book never clearly states the way many of these ideas came to pass. This book leaves me the impression that much of FDR's time was spent polling the public and then fitting that knowledge into a decision.

So yes the book does have weaknesses in my opinion. But the strength of the book is the look at FDR the person. He was a solitary figure that needed a strong group of friends to humor him and help him through a truly horrific time in American history. His family life was a mess - he and Eleanor going in different directions with the purpose of staying apart. But the main thing I took from this work was that FDR gave the country hope. He never said quit, no matter the odds or obstacles. Was he a great President? This book is a very small piece of that puzzle.

No Ordinary Viewpoint.......2007-09-03

This was a very enjoyable and well written historical account of America during World War II, through the prism of the relationship between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Goodwin's great strength, it seems to me, is to find a really refreshing angle to look at a well documented subject, often by examining the subject's most important personal relationships. She did the same thing in her Lincoln book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by examining the way Lincoln put together a strong cabinet, while still remaining a strong executive.

In this book she focuses on the Roosevelts during World War II, as FDR rallied a totally unprepared nation to become, first the arsenal of democracy, and then to enter the war against both Germany and Japan.

From my point of view I would have preferred more Franklin and less Eleanor. Ms. Goodwin notes several critics dismissing Eleanor as a meddling nag, and at times the criticism has merit. Franklin's demeanor, whether he is holding court at press conferences or White House cocktail hours, is much more enjoyable to be around. And you do, thanks to the lively writing, have a "you are there" feeling throughout this book.

Extrordinary Leaders for "No Ordinary Time".......2007-08-09

I loved this book. In it, Kearns-Goodwin recreates the time frame 1939-1945 like no other book I have read. The Roosevelts, long in power and struggling to overcome personal/physical difficulties, rise to the occasion like few leaders before them. Both children of privilege, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt took on their personal demons (his polio and her, at first, paralyzing shyness) to save the nation. Already dealing with the Great Depression, they were the public face of the war effort. How easy it would have been for FDR to overreach his power (in both the Depression and WWII). Although he was restricted by an isolationist Congress before the attack on Pearl Harbor,he persuaded Congress to ok Lend-Lease, and developed a plan with Churchill (and later Stalin) that eventually led to total victory. While he made some mistakes (internment of Japanese Americans, for example), his optimistic and winning public style balanced nicely with a keen understanding of the power he wielded. Eleanor, for her part, became the paralyzed president's spokesman around the world and at home. She also pushed domestic policy in a way that kept things like civil rights, help for the poor and needy, and better working conditions for labor on the front burner despite the efforts to win the war. Kearns-Goodwin covers it all, including the personal struggles of the First Couple. After it all, they emerge as extraordinary leaders for "no ordinary time". Few have equaled them before or since.

Not my type of book .......2007-06-29

Packed with information on every aspect of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt during the WWII timeframe, this book is a history lovers dream. Unfortunately, I am no history lover. I became glossy-eyed when fine details were being mentioned about everyday activities. I felt that the book strayed from the main story and gave too much supporting detail. Yet, as is with all of the history books that I marginally enjoy, I learned quite a bit of information that I would never have gained otherwise. I was amazed to learn about how separate the Roosevelt's actually were as a couple and FDR's continued relationship with Lucy Rutherford. I also gained insight into how much Eleanor helped to spur the rights for blacks and women with her forward thinking. Eleanor and Franklin's separation as a couple was shadowed by their strength in bringing a nation out of depression and forming our current business environment. I was also surprised to see the extent in which Franklin relaxed. There wasn't a chapter where Franklin didn't either drive around Hyde Park, cruise on the Potomac, or spend time in his "Little White House" in Warm Springs. This was a man who knew what taking it easy was all about.

A glimpse of my grandparents.......2007-06-09

I am a college student. Before reading this book I barely knew who FDR was, let alone why his terms in office were so important. I traveled to Hawaii shortly after reading this book to visit Pearl Harbor because I was so moved by the book. I feel like I understand my grandparents generation a little better now and truly want to thank them for all they have done.
Overall, a terrific read. The author did a wonderful job of sharing the unique relationship between FDR and Churhill. I was also impressed with the author's knowledge of the homefront, instead of just all of the famous battles. Everyone should read this book.

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Quality Paperbacks Series)

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Life
A Remarkable Woman
Copelling read
Completing the ER collection:
An amazing, fascinating woman writes a dull, lifeless book

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Quality Paperbacks Series)
Eleanor Roosevelt
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

You Learn by Living
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933
The Wisdom Of Eleanor Roosevelt (Wisdom Library)
My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962
Eleanor Roosevelt. Volume Two: 1933-1938

ASIN: 030680476X

Book Description

To tie in with the paperback publication of volume II of Blanche Wiesen Cook's acclaimed biography of Eleanor Roosevelt

"Mrs. Roosevelt's autobiography is above all the portrait of a person. The history it gives is history as she has seen it-not in the round but directly, with her clear and candid eye. Since, however, she has seen so much and from so central a point of vision, her reflections on our world and on our human prospects have more than an autobiographical interest. She is a very wise woman, and it would be correspondingly unwise not to take notice of her hopes-and fears."
-Barbara Ward

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Life.......2006-02-17

I bought this book during a visit to Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage in Hyde Park. I had read Doris Kearn's "No Ordinary Time" years prior and it had stoked an deep interest in me for more on the Roosevelts of Hyde Park. This book is an interesting look at a woman whose transformation impacted the nation and the world. Surely, she is the most interesting and influential woman of the 20th Century.

The book covers a great many historical events as well as personal incidents in her life. The early years give us a glimpse into the thinking of an awkward and self-conscious girl. She guides us through her growing involvement in New York politics. The presidential years are interesting. But I found that reading a book ABOUT Eleanor in those years as opposed to reading her self deprecating and understated views was mor enlightening. The most captivating portions ofthis book were the post presidential years, particularly her roleas a UN Delegage and as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. I thought the book was good, although I had to keep reminding myself that an autobiography is one person's personal story of events - not the grand history of events.

I am very glad I read her autobiography and read her own words. She is that much more a compelling woman to me. History buffs should not shy away from this book. Immensely readable, with an occasional slow spot.

A Remarkable Woman.......2005-04-21

This book sheds light a long period of American history through the narration of an amazing woman who you will grow to admire as much as I did. Born into an elite aristocratic American family, Eleanor could have remained hemmed in by the insular values with which she was raised. Women were supposed to stay out of politics, Anglo-Saxons were supposed to run the country and only mingle amongst themselves, and the poor deserved their lot.

Eleanor grew up with a lot of the prejudices someone of her class and generation might be expected to have but then she transformed into a woman who fought tirelessly against poverty, racism, sexism, and injustices of all kinds. I think that is her true legacy and what makes her so remarkable. In a society that wanted women to be purely ornamental, Eleanor could have done as so many women of her age and class did, remain prisoners to their narrow views and beliefs.

But Eleanor did more. Because she was not conventionally attractive, she was supposed to hide away from society. Because she was a woman, she wasn't supposed to get involved in political affairs. But she got involved! She told FDR what she thought about everything, urging him to pass anti-lynching legislation, include more women in his cabinet, and earning his profound respect-if not always his complience!

Sometimes she could be a bit naive, (like when, in the fifties, she told a soviet leader how much Americans had done to improve the "life of the negro", but Eleanor's empathy, compassion, humility and personal strength comes through so strongly in these profoundly human writings of hers that I really think anyone would enjoy them. What a wonderful woman!

Copelling read.......2005-03-11

While reading this book you get to share in the many personal experiences of Eleanor Roosevelt. She does not focus much on her relationships, rather she focuses on sharing her experiences. The places she has gone to and the people she has talked to are absolutley amazing. She shares her firsthand experiences of the mine workers and her talks with people in communist Russia. It is amazing that just one woman has seen and heard from so many varying perspectives. She really did try to empathize with the people and situations around her and this really comes out in her book. I think many people can learn from reading this book on how to be a better listener and observer and critical thinker of the life happening around you.

Completing the ER collection:.......2004-09-25

If you're looking for a "first" Eleanor biography, don't start with this one. Read it eventually, but not at first.

If you have read her collected writings, "No Ordinary Time" or the biography(ies) by Blanche Wiesen Cook this autobiography is a much needed voice. It may not be as engrossing or tantlizing as the others, but it offers a layered look into her history. I struggled with the Wiesen Cook books but ended up enjoying them very much and I would have to say that with out them, this autobiography would not have had such an impact. What she shares in her autobiography is enlightening at times, but what is more significant is the specifics she leaves out or vaguely refers to in the generalist of terms.

The best way to describe this book is comparing it to a long chat with a woman you've respected for a long time. You knew things about her, you heard the rumors, but now you're sitting with her, listening to her tell you how she really felt things happened.

An amazing, fascinating woman writes a dull, lifeless book.......2004-07-14

Eleanor Roosevelt's autobiography provides very little information about her life. She vaguely refers to many seemingly important events (such as the death of her father, her husband's presidency) with little emotion and no detail whatsoever. If you know a lot about her and the politics of the time already, it may offer an interesting perspective. If you want to know details of ER's incredibly interesting life, read her biography by Blanch Weisen Cook.

Kindred Souls: The Friendship Of Eleanor Roosevelt And David Gurewitsch

Average customer rating:

Recommended
Lovefest
Adding to the ER mystic
Generous, enlightening & uplifting
A different look at Eleanor Roosevelt

Kindred Souls: The Friendship Of Eleanor Roosevelt And David Gurewitsch
Edna P. Gurewitsch
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Kindred Souls
Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

ASIN: 0312286988

Book Description

In a letter to David Gurewitsch, Eleanor Roosevelt's personal physician and friend during the last fifteen years of her life, Mrs. Roosevelt wrote, "Above all others, you are the one to whom my heart is tied......" This defines the intense relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and David Gurewitsch-- friends who often traveled and entertained together and eventually, after his marriage to Edna Perkel, bought and shared a town house in Manhattan.Their private friendship, a companionship they both treasured, has always intrigued historians, but not much was known about it. David kept diaries and took thousands of photographs, but he never publicly discussed their time together. Now, for the first time, his wife, Edna, has decided to reveal their story and hers after she married into their complicated relationship. Reading David's diaries and the hundreds of letters that he and Mrs. Roosevelt exchanged over the years, and then reflecting on her own life after the death of her husband, enabled Edna finally to write this story. She sheds new light on Mrs. Roosevelt's very private journey of self-discovery as she gained the confidence and knowledge to follow her own personal and political convictions: visiting Khrushchev at his home in Yalta, working on Adlai Stevenson's campaign, being charmed by the young Senator John Kennedy into giving her support for his presidential candidacy, and above all inspiring the love and respect of people all over the world for her compassion, eloquence, and devotion to humanity.Given her husband's unique role as doctor and confidant to Mrs. Roosevelt, Edna Gurewitsch draws on his insights and her own as a close friend to offer us a very human and inspiring portrait of this complex woman. Perceived as a strong and deeply caring person, which she was, Mrs. Roosevelt also struggled terribly with loneliness and jealousy and a need to transcend her sometimes overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. Her capacity for friendship was enormous, and Edna Gurewitsch describes what it was like to be on the receiving end of her exceptional thoughtfulness-- the carefully chosen gifts left on doorsteps, the generous notes, and the open conversations she welcomed with a humility that never trumpeted her own virtues or called attention to herself as one of the great minds of the twentieth century.Kindred Souls is filled with personal and unpublished letters from Mrs. Roosevelt. Sometimes chatty and fact-filled, but more often heartfelt and passionate, these letters reveal her yearnings and vulnerabilities as well as her comings and goings, her personal as well as her global concerns. And yet they are always balanced by her special dignity and probity. The book also includes thirty-two pages of never-before-seen photographs taken by David Gurewitsch. Combined with the author's own memories and observations, Kindred Souls is a unique, intimate look at three friends and their extraordinary lives.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended.......2006-07-21

I "read" this book as a book on tape. If you love Eleanor Roosevelt as most people do, you'll feel you "know" her almost as a friend after reading this book. One story in the book that stands out in my mind is this: Eleanor liked to always be 'on time' when she had an appointment or was going to a play, concert, or outing. Dr. Guerevitch and his wife were going with her to a concert onetime. They were "behind schedule" and arrived at the theater a few minutes late. As they entered the theater the audience started to applaud. Mrs. Roosevelt was "miffed" saying with some angry emotion to the Doctor and his wife, 'See, we're late...the audience is already applauding for the conductor!' Eleanor didn't realize that the audience was applauding for HER... not the conductor! This indicates to me that she was a rather "humble" person who wasn't self-centered. Whatever your political persuasion, you'd have to admit that she was a noble person who tried to "do good" in her life. Email:boland7214@aol.

Good book.

Lovefest.......2005-02-23

In 1945, David Gurewitsch became Eleanor Roosevelt's personal physician. Within two years, they became close friends, traveling companions and confidants. Edna Gurewitsch chronicles the relationship between her husband and Mrs. Roosevelt in Kindred Souls: The Devoted Friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. David Gurewitsch.

Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most intelligent, gifted, powerful, energetic yet humble women of the 20th Century. But despite all these attributes, she suffered from a definite lack of confidence in her abilities. This lack of self-esteem had several roots including her miserable childhood, her insensitive husband, her domineering mother-in-law and the shabby treatment she suffered by her five self-centered, spoiled and undisciplined children. To compensate for this serious lacking, Mrs. Roosevelt surrounded herself with an orbit of friends who served as her surrogate family. Mrs. Roosevelt demanded much from her friends, but rewarded them with love, loyalty, devotion and generosity. Her list included Esther Lape, Marion Dickerman, Nancy Cook, Lorena Hickock, Joe Lash, and others. Dr. Gurewitsch was her closest friend for the last 15 years of her life. Right before her death, she wrote to him "above all others, you are the one to whom my heart is tied." Once David married the author, they became a threesome. They even shared a house together until Mrs. Roosevelt's death in 1962.

Edna Gurewitsch's book can best be described as a lovefest. Her fawning descriptions of her "perfect" husband become very nauseating very quickly. If there are any warts exposed in Kindred Souls, they belong to Mrs. Roosevelt. She could be demanding and emotionally needy at times, and often revealed a jealousy toward those she felt were usurping her attention. There were often intrigues between her children and her friends, and even among her friends, as each group vied for Mrs. Roosevelt's love in return. Her children were the worst, as they often found themselves on the outside looking in.

For a Roosevelt fan, there is not much new information to be had, except for the background of Dr. Gurewitsch (which may be interesting, but is not the reason I purchased this book). For most readers, I'd recommend skipping Kindred Souls and reading instead one of Joseph Lash's Roosevelt biographies, or better yet, Blanche Wiesen Cook's two-part biography on Mrs. Roosevelt (which I understand will eventually be six books in all).

Adding to the ER mystic.......2004-07-25

I certainly do not claim to be an expert on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. However, I have read my fair share of books on her life and that of FDR. As a result, I thought I was aware of ER's circle of friends and the people who shared a close relationship with her. When I discovered KINDRED SOULDS - THE FRIENDSHIP OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND DAVID GUREWITSCH on audiocassete at my local library it came as a welcome surprise. David Gurewitsch was a name that was new to me.

Edna P. Gurewitsch's 2002 book is a memorable history of the relationship between the author's husband, Dr. David Gurewitsch and ER. Based mainly on letters between ER and Dr. Gurewitsch and journals along with Edna's memories, the book presents a charming portrait of Mrs. Roosevelt as a pragmatic, driven, thoughtful, quirky, emotional and sometimes difficult friend. The relationship that developed first beween ER and David, who was ER's physician, and later with the addition of Edna when they married, makes for an interesting insight into the dynamics of this unique set of human relationship. Did ER really love David, a man many years her junior, and resent the intrusion of Edna? Did she finally come to accept this "other woman" in a strange threesome in order to maintain her relationship with David? These are questions that no one can answer and one that the prospective reader can ponder for themselves.

The Roosevelt children do not fair wll throughout the book, which covers the last years of Mrs. Roosevelt's life. They come across as seemingly lacking concern for their mother, going to her when they were in financial straights, especially Elliot and living lives where they believed that the society owes them a great deal because of their place in history as Roosevelts. It becomes almost trite to talk about the result of a dysfunctional family, but it's the only thing that seems to fit after listening to Edna describe ER's relationship with her children. Surprisingly, the references to FDR are few and far between. Edna speaks from the prospective of those who argue that ER took on a new persona as her own person after her husband's death and moved on with her life.

As I said, I don't claim to be an expert on ER, however, I know that she was extremely close to Joseph Lash. Then there is the rumored relationship with her one time driver, state trooper,Earl Miller, both of whom were younger than ER. There was ER's life long friendship (allegedly lesbian) with Lorena Hitchock and her interesting relationship with other women. And these are just the ones that I remember.

As a prolific letter writer ER left a great legacy in her writing. The thousands of letters addressed to "my dearest friend" with comments of "how much I love and miss you" were left behind for historians now to consider. Are we now judging her late Victorian style by 21st century standards? Were these loving comments a result of ER's loneliness and her desire to be loved in return? Only a psychologist can figure that one out.

ER clearly had a close relationsip with Edna and David. Such is evidenced by the fact that she chose to live the last years of her life with them. She traveled with them, spent weekends and evenings with them, and basically made them her family, based on Edna's account. Although Edna talks about ER's many circle of friends, how they also interacted in her life or spent time with her, I came away feeling that there was a part of ER's life that was left out in this particular picture. According to Edna, ER's life was totally encompassed in that of her and her husband to the exclusion of others.

For those who know a good deal about Eleanor Roosevelt, this is an interesting read. As I stated, I listened to it on audiocassette. The reader did a good job of varying her voice but I feel that there were several mispronunciations of proper names. The work included interesting political insights of mid 20th century politicians, especially Adlai Stevenson and JFK. But fitting the Gurewitsch's into the greater picture of ER's life is, I believe, still open for debate. In hindsight history is always reveaaed in the light most favorable to the writer, especially one who claims to have the close personal friends of a famous person. However, I would love to hear other views of the relationship between David Gurewitsch, Edna Gurewitsch and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm suspect that there is another side.

Generous, enlightening & uplifting.......2002-11-14

This is an astonishingly generous book that gives a different look at the real life of a larger-than-life woman. Mrs. Gurewitsch was (apparantly) completely unthreatened by the strong, deep, and intimate (in the non-sexual sense of the word)relationship between her husband and the redoubtable Mrs. Roosevelt. She limns the outlines of the relationship gently, with great compassion for Mrs. Roosevelt and frank admiration for her many accomplishments. Still, this is not hagiography- Mrs. Gurewitsch tells her story with simplicity and affection, but is still clear eyed about her subjects human foibles.

Through her portrait, and through the extracts of letters to David, it becomes clear that the infamous Lorena Hickok letters must be read in the context of an era (and a woman), in which language was rather more effusive.

Like so many things about Eleanor Roosevelt, the book is a bit bittersweet, but she clearly had made her peace with life, and in the end Mrs. Gurewitsch has repaid Mrs. Roosevelt's trust and friendship. The book is not a comprehensive biography, but you may inspired enough by what you read that you go read one!

A different look at Eleanor Roosevelt.......2002-05-24

I enjoyed this book. After reading so much "trash" about Mrs. Roosevelt and her friendships, this book is revealing without delving into smutty, unproveable theories. It provided a lot of personal information about Eleanor Roosevelt's last years, public and private, as well as valuable insights about her complex personality. On occasion, the author's somewhat proprietary feelings toward her connection with Mrs. Roosevelt were in evidence, but on the whole, it is a memoir that no one with an interest in Eleanor Roosevelt should miss.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (Newbery Honor Book)

Average customer rating:

Must read book.
A life of discovery
my review of eleanor roosevelt
A highly readable reference on a remarkable woman
Woman of the century

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (Newbery Honor Book)
Russell Freedman
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The Wisdom Of Eleanor Roosevelt (Wisdom Library)
The Great Fire
Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies)
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

ASIN: 0899198627

Book Description

The intriguing story of Eleanor Roosevelt traces the life of the former First Lady from her early childhood through the tumultuous years in the White House to her active role in the founding of the United Nations after World War II. A Newberry Honor Book.

Customer Reviews:

Must read book........2007-08-27

I purchased this for my 10 year old daughter, hoping to get her interested in starting to read more nonfiction. She loved the book and read it all in three sittings. It must be very well written, because I saw her engrossed in it for hours at a time.

A life of discovery.......2007-07-25

This is a must have for any historian. I loved the book. I was able to use it for my recent bibliography for college. There was a lot of little tidbits that I did not see elsewhere.

my review of eleanor roosevelt.......2006-04-01

I learned that eleanor roosevelt was a very kind loving person who had a very odd child hood, she was known as the ugly duckling.Her mother did not treat her right and made eleanor afraid of everything.
Personaly, I think that this information was very helpful and would be grate to do a scool project on. this book had lots of pictures that gave wonderful information and were very deitailed, and showed me how to eleanors life was when she was a kid. I also learned that that eleanor loved her father very much, more that enything, and he loved her just as much. eleanor was an orffan at age ten because her whole family died of yellow fever. as I said before this book has a lot of amazing pictures [194]and about half of them showed eleanor and her father together.
I enjoued this book alot and I think you will to. the only thing is I would not try to read this book in one week because it is pretty long. Something I liked about this book is that it gives lots of details and is very factual. I also recomend this book if you like a traditional paper back book. I highly think this book is agreat book for a school project, like I did it on a biograghy. I hope you wil llearn as much as I did reading this amazing historical book, Eleanor roossevelt.

A highly readable reference on a remarkable woman.......2004-09-15

This Newbery Honor Book, subtitled "A Life of Discovery," covers Eleanor Roosevelt's life in 11 chapters and nearly 200 pages. The biography covers Roosevelt's childhood, education, courtship, marriage and motherhood, entrée into politics alongside her husband, and her humanitarian work independent of FDR. The text itself is straightforward and easy to read, presented in a scholarly fashion rather than the sort of fictionalized manner of some biographies. While certain events are dramatized, no dialog is invented - the words the reader encounters are those of the figures themselves, from journals, letters, and speeches. The best passages are the friendly and informative explanations offering children some background knowledge about the time, such as this account of courtship at the turn of the century, seamlessly woven into the chapter on "Cousin Franklin":

Of course, Eleanor and Franklin were never alone together. That would have been highly improper in those formal Victorian days. When Eleanor visited Hyde Park or Campobello, when she met Franklin in New York for lunch or tea, even they went riding in the Roosevelt carriage, a third person was always present. If a relative wasn't available, Eleanor's maid served as a chaperone (38).

These frequent explanations offer the reader a broader insight into time, describing the conventions of the era in order to later set Roosevelt's often unconventional views and activities in contrast. This treatment gives young readers a strong sense of why Roosevelt is worthy of special attention. The text is accompanied by more than 100 black and white photographs, both formal portraits and informal candid views of Roosevelt. Overall, the book focuses on Roosevelt's life as a public figure, though does not shy away from intensely personal matters such as her father's alcoholism, her adolescent insecurities, and even her husband's infidelity. In this way, Freedman manages to create a very intimate portrait of the woman herself and to make a larger-than-life figure, with a highly privileged background seem very real and accessible. Although Freedman's tone clearly indicates an admiration for his subject, the book does not idolize her, often drawing attention to her faults such as her lack of her tenderness as a mother when her children were very young (acknowledged by her son). The book concludes with a photo album, bibliography, and index. The book is readable from beginning to end and usable as a reference for exploration of specific events or issues from Roosevelt's life. Children will likely come to this book because of a classroom assignment, but in the process will certainly be entertained and inspired.

Woman of the century.......2004-01-31

To my mind there are two biographers that write for children and that can do no wrong. On is the ineffable J. Giblin (author of "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler") and one is Russell Freedman. Freedman is best known for his well-rounded and intensely researched biography of Abraham Lincoln (entitled "Lincoln: A Photobiography"), winner of the Newbery award. Turning his sights to a slightly more modern personage, Freedman examines the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Every biography needs a hook. It's not enough to lay out the facts of a person's life and let them speak for themselves. Many times, a work examining a famous figure needs to go a little further. To find out what exactly made this person tick. Eleanor Roosevelt's life was not a common one, but it many ways it began ordinarily. Born to beautiful but distant parents, Eleanor struggled with her plain looks and her inordinate shyness from day one. Freedman is often in a position to demonize those people in Roosevelt's life that let her down, yet he never wishes to do so. Rather than actually say, "Eleanor's parents were negligent baboons", the author instead places the facts before the viewer. Examining them, we see that, yes, they were negligent baboons. But we have reached that conclusion on our own, without being told what to think. So goes the rest of Freedman's book. As she grows, Eleanor matures, finds strength in herself, and eventually becomes the best known (and most widely respected) first lady of the United States.

There are a few problems with the biography, though they are small. The book allows itself a small flourish occasionally. One example might be Eleanor's death scene, wherein the author supposes that the former first lady may have seen the image of her father upon dying. Also, though the sources cited are many, Freedman fails to footnote a single page in any way (a talent Giblin has always excelled in). A timeline of Eleanor's life would not have been out of place here either. Just the same, these are small potatoes.

This is a book written specifically with children or young adults in mind. As such, it is interesting and informative. Beautiful photographs accompany almost every page, and there is even a small photo album of additional shots in the back. Hearsay and conjecture about Mrs. Eleanor's private life has been ignored entirely. The book does observe FDR's romantic liaisons (some provided by his daughter, no less) but it does not dwell on them obsessively. As Eleanor forgives but does not forget his dalliances, and so too the reader comes to forgive (maybe a little less) but not forget them either. FDR is interesting, but this is a book about Eleanor Roosevelt and the life she led. Anyone wishing to teach about a popular proto-feminist would do very well to use this woman as their primary example. Freedman has treated her with the dignity she deserves. It is a noteworthy accomplishment.

Amelia And Eleanor Go For A Ride
Average customer rating:

Learn history the fun way

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY LIBRARY

Great Gift for Little Girls

Best Friends and Amazing People

"...Something Exciting was Bound to Happen..."

Amelia And Eleanor Go For A Ride
Pam Munoz Ryan
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

United States | Biographies | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Girls & Women | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
1900s | Fiction | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Transportation | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson

You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer

Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man

Riding Freedom

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman

ASIN: 059096075X

Amazon.com

On a clear April evening in 1933, two outspoken and strong-minded friends slipped away from a formal dinner party to have a little unconventional fun. What made this event remarkable was that the two were Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, dining at the White House; their entertainment of choice was to fly an airplane on a loop from Washington D.C. to Baltimore. Pooh-poohing Secret Service agents' concerns that this activity hadn't been "approved," the celebrated aviator and the First Lady stole away before dessert was served, and took to the sky.

Inspired by the true facts of this little-known event, based on diaries, book transcripts, and newspaper accounts, Pam Munoz Ryan brings the thrilling evening to life as if she had been on that plane herself. Emphasizing the mettle and independent spirits of the two women, Ryan presents a pair of pioneering social and political activists any woman--or man--even today would be proud to claim as role models. An author's note gives some intriguing background information on these two exceptional women. Award-winning illustrator Brian Selznick lived in Washington D.C. while researching the graphite and colored pencil drawings for this book, which include authentic wallpaper and china patterns. (Ages 6 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

One evening in April 1933, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt stole away from a White House dinner, commandeered an airplane and took off on a glorious adventure over Washington D.C. - while still dressed in their glamorous evening gowns! This picture book celebrates the courage and pioneering spirit of two great friends and American heroes.

Customer Reviews:

Learn history the fun way.......2007-09-10

What a great way to learn about two historical icons! This is a wonderful book written about two great American women. Both Amelia and Eleanor are fabulous role models all on their own, but team them up and the inspiration they dole out is double the fun! Read this to your daughters, read this to your sons. Whatever you do, just read it.

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY LIBRARY.......2004-02-11

This is one of the most charming stories I have ever owned. It is even better because it is based in reality with the contrast of dream like illustrations. It has the wonderful qualities of one of those sweet and magical black and white movies. My five year old wants me to read it to her again and again. Between this book and select I Love Lucy episodes I am showing her, she is realizing that black and white media can be relevant to her. It doesn't have to be color and have a special effect to be great. A wonderful book that adults will fall in love with as much as children.

Great Gift for Little Girls.......2003-03-22

As the parent of a curious 5-year-old, I've been disappointed by the scarcity of historical and biographical books aimed at very young children. My daughter had an interest in Amelia Earhart since she first saw her "red plane" at the Smithsonian, so I took a gamble and bought this book for her at Christmas time...and she loved it. In fact, she liked it so much that she's insisted on giving it to several of her girl friends as gifts. It was a big hit with them as well. In fact a couple of their mothers have asked me where I got it (Amazon, of course), and whether the author has written any other children's books.

The story is simple, fun, historical, and symbolically significant (without being didactic or political). The black and white illustrations are interesting to look at, and very detailed (even the pattern on the White House china in the background is historically accurate).

With their colorful personalities, and the strength to defy cultural expectations, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt make great role models for little girls -- and it doesn't hurt for them to understand that the freedoms they will surely take for granted in their lives were won for all of us by women like these.

Best Friends and Amazing People.......2003-03-11

Before I read this book, I didn't know much about either of these women. I also couldn't see how you could compare them. But after reading it I realized that these women are indeed alike. They both love to be different, and to do out-of-the-ordinary things. The book has them going on 2 adventures together, each doing the things they love. During these adventures they wear their evening dresses. It is a great story about two amazing women.

"...Something Exciting was Bound to Happen...".......2002-04-03

"Amelia and Eleanor were birds of a feather. Eleanor was outspoken and determined. So was Amelia. Amelia was daring and liked to try things other women wouldn't even consider. Eleanor was the very same..." So begins Pam Munoz Ryan's marvelous picture book adventure, Amelia And Eleanor Go For A Ride. These two famous "birds" were Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, and Amelia Earhart, world famous aviator and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Based on an actual event, using newpaper accounts, diaries, and book transcripts, Ms Ryan tells the intriguing story of how these two friends ditched a White House dinner party one April night in 1933, and ignoring protests from the Secret Service took a daring night flight from Washington to Baltimore and back. Her easy to read and engaging text is exciting and entertaining. Brian Selznick's vivid black and white pencil illustrations have the look of old photographs, and capture the story beautifully. Together both word and art present a well researched, thrilling story, rich in many authentic details, and includes an Author's Note and actual picture to enhance this wonderful event. Perfect for youngsters 6-10, Amelia And Eleanor Go For A Ride transports the reader back in time when flying, especially night flight was new, and let's you tag along on a once in a lifetime adventure as history is made.

Eleanor Roosevelt : Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938

Average customer rating:

I gave up
Interesting read, but a disorganized jumble...
I didn't get to know the woman
Eleanor Stands Tall
Great book, but...

Eleanor Roosevelt : Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938
Blanche Wiesen Cook
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Quality Paperbacks Series)
My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962
Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok
You Learn by Living

ASIN: 0140178945
Release Date: 2000-06-05

Amazon.com

With its gripping tale of a privileged ugly duckling turned socially conscious swan with the help of strong female friends--many of whom were lesbians and one of whom was probably her lover--the first volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt won awards and made headlines. That book followed its subject from her birth in 1884 through her husband Franklin's election to the presidency in 1933. Volume 2, which chronicles Roosevelt's first six years as America's most controversial first lady (Hillary Clinton doesn't even come close), maps her contributions to the New Deal, which Cook convincingly argues was primarily the fulfillment of a political agenda promoted by female reformers as early as 1912. Eleanor's turbulent relationship with journalist Lorena Hickok gets more space here than it probably deserves, and the story isn't as inherently exciting as the first volume's drama of a woman's coming of age. Nonetheless, Cook's subtle analyses of everything from Roosevelt's exceedingly complex marriage to her role as warm-up act for the New Deal's most radical programs are bracingly intelligent, her evocation of a remarkable personality rivetingly vivid. Eleanor emerges as neither the liberals' saint nor the conservatives' Satan, but an entirely human bundle of contradictions: warm-hearted, yet ice-cold when hurt; happiest in the public arena, yet needing the comfort of private relationships. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Historians, politicians, feminists, critics, and reviewers everywhere have praised Blanche Wiesen Cook's monumental Eleanor Roosevelt as the definitive portrait of this towering female figure of the twentieth century. Now in her long-awaited, majestic second volume, Cook takes readers through the tumultuous era of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the gathering storms of World War II, the years of the Roosevelts' greatest challenges and finest achievements.

In her remarkably engaging narrative, Cook gives us the complete Eleanor Roosevelt: an adventurous, romantic woman, a devoted wife and mother, and a visionary policymaker and social activist who often took unpopular stands, counter to her husband's policies, especially on issues such as racial justice and women's rights. A biography of scholarship and daring, it is a book for all readers of American history.

"Fascinating . . . Cook's portrait of a woman in the thick of things during the hardest of times . . . will stand as definitive." --The Washington Post

"Engrossing . . . Cook is especially good at probing Roosevelt's psychological state and explaining her many complex relationships with friends and family."--The Boston Sunday Globe (front page)

"Cook gets at the tender, sprightly creature behind the starchy, strident image." --Maureen Dowd, The New York Times Book Review (front page)

Customer Reviews:

I gave up.......2004-11-30

I have to admit that I gave up on this book. I'm hoping to find a more readable biography of Mrs. Roosevelt. Cook's style and grammar are just too jumbled for me.

Look in the "look inside this book" section here and go to page 14. This is a prime example of Cook's overuse of quotes. I appreciate that she did her research, but if she was going to quote so much, she should have just included one whole article. As it is, the whole page is a mish-mash of sentances and words taken from various sources creating a confusing unreadable mess.

Interesting read, but a disorganized jumble..........2004-09-10

I was shocked to discover that volume 2 only covered 5 years, albeit 5 important years. However, that should serve as a caveat for a potential reader.

This volume is a much harder read than volume 1 as this version grinds to a screeching halt in places. While I agree it was important to document ERs long, tortured relationship with Lorena Hickock, too much emphasis (and repetition) was placed on what looks to be a normal parting-of-the-ways as ER ascended.

There are some very intriguing and thoughtful moments in this book (which makes its a worthwhile read), but they are broken up by too many abrupt harbringers of moral/political doom or redemption with sparse or no follow-up.

I didn't get to know the woman.......2003-01-29

This is a very well-researched and meticulously written book. However, I never felt I got to know Eleanor Roosevelt. I found the reference to Mrs. Roosevelt throughout the book as "ER" off-putting. It put an emotional distance between the reader and the subject. While we are treated to many details of Mrs. Roosevelt's life, we are never really let in to her emotional life. BWC (the author) goes into such detail about everyone else around Mrs. Roosevelt and she tells us what happened, but she doesn't let us see things through Mrs. Roosevelt's eyes. I still have no idea what the relationship between FDR and his wife was. Nor do I really understand why she remained with Lorena Hick so long. This book really amounts to a laundry list of who, what, where. A really effective biography will let us into the personal lives of the subject and let us feel as they feel as the story of their life unfolds. I never found that emotional resonance in this account. Eleanor Roosevelt left behind copious amounts of source material. I think that the author could have done a much better job of letting us experience Mrs. Roosevelt more fully as a person and not just as a public figure with a lot on her agenda.

Eleanor Stands Tall.......2002-11-10

Although not being an American, I'm aware that there are many in the States who are not too fond of ER and who are very critical of her. This second volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's series on America's former First Lady is as remarkable and absorbing as was the first. There is no doubt FDR was a man of character,courage and great personal charm and warmth, there is equally no doubt that his wife suffered great personal trauma (and embarrassment) at his refusal (doubtless for political reasons)to speak out against the racial problems (in particular lyching in the South) and the Hitlerites treament of Jews in prewar Germany and Austria whilst the US continued to trade with the Germans. The same could be said of his stance during the Spanish Civil War. Eleanor was a nag (as was mentioned here in other summaries of this book) but never without good reason.
And all of her dire predictions came true. ER's passion for life, her beliefs, her love and respect of her husband, come through over and over again. Her ability to manipulate people, a less attractive aspect of her character - is also here for all to see (as her relationship with Lorena Hickock so aptly demonstrates).
Was there too much of Hick in this book ? I didn't think so. The relationship was a long term, on going one. The letters were not destroyed by ER, who I believe must have realised they'd become public after her death. Finally, ER's energy levels must have been extraordinary - her ability to criss cross the country seemingly non stop was remarkable considering that travel and the mode of travel was nothing like it is today. What an absolute bonus such a partner was to FDR's re electibility !
I look forward to the next "installment" with great anticipation.

Great book, but..........2002-04-11

This is a great book about a remarkable first lady. My only complaint is that the author tries to cram almost too much info into the book. The author often will reference things that happened during Mrs Roosevelt's time, but then will not go into detail about those incidences. For instance, the author mentions that during the late 1930's, the Scottsboro incident was going on, but then she doesn't delve further into that incident. The author would've been better off not mentioning it at all.

However, overall, the book does a great job of telling you the reader about the first lady.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life (Library of American Biography Series) (3rd Edition) (Library of American Biography)
Average customer rating:

Not a good example of history for students

Good Overview But For Depth Look Elsewhere

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life (Library of American Biography Series) (3rd Edition) (Library of American Biography)
J. William T. Youngs
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Roosevelt, Eleanor | ( R ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Biographies & Memoirs | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

George Mason : Reluctant Statesman

The Essential America: A Narrative History (Volume 1)

Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business (Library of American Biography Series) (3rd Edition) (Library of American Biography)

Sitting Bull and the Paradox of Lakota Nationhood (Library of American Biography Series) (2nd Edition) (Library of American Biography)

Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of American Conservatism (Library of American Biography Series) (2nd Edition) (Library of American Biography)

ASIN: 0321342321

Book Description

Surely one of the most important women of the twentieth century, Eleanor Roosevelt's life, both personal and public, was greatly influential. She affected not just Americans, but the world; not just white women, but people of all sexes and races, and extended far beyond her 80 years. Her position as a daughter of a well-known family and as wife of a rising politician prepared her for the role of First Lady after her husband's election to the presidency in 1932.

From that vantage point, she gained insight into twentieth-century social problems and steadily expanded the scope of her interests. But Eleanor Roosevelt's significance did not hinge entirely upon Franklin Delano Roosevelt's position. For years after his death, she continued to explore the meaning of her Americanism and her role as a woman sensitive to the needs of changing times. This thoughtful account provides a moving description of the forces that transformed the twentieth-century world.

Customer Reviews:

Not a good example of history for students.......2002-03-19

While the language isn't boring the the ideas are great in Youngs second edition of this biography, I am not happy at all that my students have been assigned this book to read in a linked course. I teach a study and learning skills course linked to an American history course at a university in the USA and this biography must be read by the students. With all the time spent in the colleges and universities and now in the media about how historians need to cite their sources, this biography is a sad and sorry example. Nothing is cited, even the direct quotes have no citations! Yes, Youngs does discuss his sources at the end of the book but that is not the same as giving credit to the sources where he drew his quotations and facts from. The publisher, Longman, should be ashamed for allowing such poorly cited scholarship to be printed for used in either courses or the general public. I would have given this 1 star but the writing is engaging.

Good Overview But For Depth Look Elsewhere.......2000-12-22

Youngs's biography is an average attempt to describe this great woman's life and I do not mean "average" in a derogatory sense. This book hits all the main points of Eleanor's life and accomplishments from before her birth up to her death. It remains objective throughout most of the book but Youngs does not bring any enthusiasm to the womans life. The few times when Youngs voice seems to be asserting itself, it is to criticize Eleanor. One example is when Youngs insinuates that Eleanor's work in the NYC skids was just a rich girl trying to slum. Youngs made it seem like Eleanor never cared about the poor because she could never truly know them. He may have a point, but he did not use that same emotion when he was describing Eleanor's work as First Lady during the Great Depression. I would have liked to seen a little more energy from Youngs but I cannot complain about the information in his book. For those of you wanting a good, fairly objective, overview of Eleanor's life, Youngs book is just for you. For those who like their biographer to throw their two cents into the book you might want to look elsewhere.

A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Average customer rating:

the lioness in winter
A Thoughtful Remeberance

A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Mary Ann Glendon
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights)
Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse
Universal Human Rights

ASIN: 0375760466
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Book Description

Unafraid to speak her mind and famously tenacious in her convictions, Eleanor Roosevelt was still mourning the death of FDR when she was asked by President Truman to lead a controversial commission, under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations, to forge the world’s first international bill of rights.

A World Made New is the dramatic and inspiring story of the remarkable group of men and women from around the world who participated in this historic achievement and gave us the founding document of the modern human rights movement. Spurred on by the horrors of the Second World War and working against the clock in the brief window of hope between the armistice and the Cold War, they grappled together to articulate a new vision of the rights that every man and woman in every country around the world should share, regardless of their culture or religion.

A landmark work of narrative history based in part on diaries and letters to which Mary Ann Glendon, an award-winning professor of law at Harvard University, was given exclusive access, A World Made New is the first book devoted to this crucial turning point in Eleanor Roosevelt’s life, and in world history.

Finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award

Customer Reviews:

the lioness in winter.......2006-04-09

A splendid account of Eleanor Roosevelt after FDR's death, when she was the guiding force on the UN committee that crafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration is already a foundation to a body of international human-rights law, a foundation that has steadily grown in importance over the last half century. The book does justice to it, and to her.

The title is from her nightly prayer: "Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. ... Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of a world made new."

Amen.

A Thoughtful Remeberance.......2001-03-02

Professor Glendon vividly and lucidly elaborates the people and events whose obscure work yielded perhaps the single most important document of the second half of the 20th Century.

For those of us who are privileged to live under the blanket of freedom, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights might not be understood to be the beacon of hope and freedom that is has become to many millions around the world who live in conditions of extraordinary disadvantage. This book is a gift in that it provides with a detailed narrative of the places, people, and events which conspired to deliver the UDHR at a moment in history when it was so desperately needed.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books