Genre 5 Historical Fiction: ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: A LIFE OF DISCOVERY

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Freedman, Russell. 1993. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: A LIFE OF DISCOVERY. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0899198627

PLOT SUMMARY
This is a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. It is a book about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt that covers her life from the very beginning to the very end. Her life story is told in this book as the story of her life, and not just the highlights of life in the public eye. We see her in the good times and also the bad times. The reader sees her as a real person.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is a well written story of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. The writing is simple and easy to read. The author tells the story in a way that is interesting and informative at the same time. It begins with a brief introduction of the Eleanor Roosevelt that most people know through her public life and then goes into the story of her childhood. It starts with the story of who her parents were. One very interesting fact that is brought up is that her maiden name was also Roosevelt, and that when she married Franklin she married her distant cousin. This book is full of very unique and interesting facts that are told as part of the story of her life. The book is also has an abundance of black and white photographs that compliment the story. Many people may be surprised by the fact that her mother was a beautiful socialite. The photographs help to tell the story of her life. The book is well laid out with the story going from her childhood to her death. The author is also well known and respected for the research that he does before writing a book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:
From Publishers Weekly
"A natural follow-up to Freedman's biography of FDR, this impeccably researched, highly readable study of one of this country's greatest First Ladies is nonfiction at its best. As a role model for girls and an inspiration to both genders, Eleanor Roosevelt remains unsurpassed. Freedman relates how she transcended both an unhappy childhood (her parents separated when she was six; her mother died when Eleanor was eight, and her father, an alcoholic, died two years later) and a timid nature to become one of the most outspoken, vigorous, highly regarded women in history."


From Kirkus Reviews
"A timid child from a dysfunctional family, Eleanor Roosevelt became a courageous woman whose career was propelled by a series of devastating events: FDR's polio, his relationship with Lucy Mercer, his election to offices that doomed his wife to supportive roles, his death; each time, with energy, determination, and an eye for the essential, Eleanor found new outlets and broke new ground with her accomplishments. Giving up her Democratic Party office when FDR was elected governor, she became his eyes and ears--a role she expanded as First Lady, touring the country and the world to observe and ask questions, winning over critics, reporting, advising, and acting as bellwether for forward-looking ideas on social policy and women's rights. After FDR's death, she chaired the UN commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And always, she wrote--articles, books, a daily column; presided over a large family with its share of troubles; and kept in touch with an ever-growing circle of close friends. In this generously full history (longer than his Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1990, and with more numerous, equally fine b&w photos), Freedman focuses, properly, on the public life more than the personal one, as Mrs. Roosevelt herself did."

CONNECTIONS
Students can read the biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt also written by Russell Freedman
Students can write their own autobiographies