Eleanor Roosevelt: an American Conscience

In her own lifetime, Eleanor Roosevelt became an American heroine. She overcame a shy and timid girlhood, a domineering mother and mother-in-law, and the enmity of her critics to become a symbol and an institution. She was coaxer and companion to a great President. She revolutionized the role of the First Lady and thereby elevated the American woman to a new level of public consciousness. Eleanor Roosevelt lived many lives in one lifetime. In whatever area she was active, her touch was unique. She could have chosen to be only a teacher, or a wife, or a First Lady, or a writer, or a public speaker, or a social reformer, or her country's representative at the United Nations. Instead, she functioned effectively in all these roles because of a deep commitment to democracy and social justice, and a special style. Because of this style, and her position, Mrs. Roosevelt constantly suffered criticism from those she annoyed. Her image was intricate and contradictory -- a politician or a politician's wife; a saint or a busybody; the embodiment of American ideals or a radical threat to the American way of life. But even those who hated her were impressed by her personal warmth which carried so effectively to the people she moved among. In this book, Tamara Hareven tells Mrs. Roosevelt's story in fascinating detail, with particular attention to her impact upon American society. Miss Hareven goes behind the scenes to analyze Mrs. Roosevelt's influcence on government, the real meaning of her public ideas, and her personal loneliness. This is an engaging portrait of a great woman, driven by a perpetual sense of duty, who conquered herself that she might help others to conquer.