Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 2

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is the most important woman in American political history, and in this definitive biography, ten years in the making, Blanche Wiesen-Cook re-creates her in all of her roles – as a visionary, an activist, a political wife, and a woman, far more independent than we knew. This volume encompasses the monumental era of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the gathering storms of World War II – the years of Roosevelts’ greatest challenges and accomplishments. The author restores Eleanor Roosevelt to her place as a visionary policy-maker and social activist with her own agenda, often ahead of her more circumspect husband. From the day ER entered the White House – and began holding press conferences for female journalists only – she worked indefatigably for justice and equality. She wrote, she published, she travelled, she lobbied, she joined grass roots organisations and radical communities with a zeal that sparked controversy everywhere.