Book Review #5

Sterling Biographies: Eleanor Roosevelt: A Courageous Spirit by Victoria Garrett Jones
Sterling Publishing, 2007, 124pp., $5.95,
ISBN: 9781402733710

Unwavering humanitarian, assiduous activist, callous negotiator, audacious spokesperson, influential woman who fought for the rights of all individuals. Eleanor Roosevelt to this day is still admired and respected for her stand on civil rights. One would have never have known she was shy, timid and lacked self-confidence prior to her notoriety. Eleanor states, “She dreaded the seemingly endless rounds of parties and other social events, calling them “utter agony.” At twenty, she married her fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt and together they had five children. As her husband pursued a political career she became the backbone in his campaign. When Franklin lost his battle with polio and became paralyzed from the waist down Eleanor was forced to deal with tragedy in the eye of the public. Franklin was elected president in 1929, with Eleanor at his side. “As First Lady, Eleanor held press conferences, wrote a newspaper column, and stood up for the civil rights of women and blacks.” After the death of her husband President Truman appointed her to the United Nations as a delegate.

Jones discusses the extraordinary partnership which developed between Franklin and Eleanor focusing on both the negatives and positives of their relationship. Jones breaks up the text by using black-and-white photographs, charts, hand written letters, descriptive essays and a wonderful glossary. This book expounds upon the lives of the Roosevelt family according to an impressive historical timeline. The text is understandable and to the point. In my opinion, one feels as though they have warped in time when viewing the magnificent photographs. The time line is in-depth, easy to follow and offers a better understanding of the adjacent family photographs. The audience age range is from 10 to 12. Young readers will truly enjoy this book and the importance women played in history and the development of our nation. Teachers can incorporate this book into art, social studies and language arts lesson plans when discussing women’s history.

Interested in other adolescent women’s history books, then check out the following:
Sterling Biographies: Rosa Parks: Courageous Citizen by Ruth Ashby and Sterling Biographies: Marian Anderson: A Voice Uplifted by Victoria Garrett Jones.