false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170953817m/78518.jpg 78518 6 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. <I>Volume 2</I>, 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. <I>--Wendy Smith</I> 75811 1992 Eleanor Roosevelt : Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938 total:139|5:42|4:63|3:31|2:3|1:0| 139 561 244 11 5 0 false false Fri Jan 16 08:14:23 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 08:17:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 08:09:34 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 07:01:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 true false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 22:25:12 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 23:07:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 22:20:35 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 22:22:27 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Sun Aug 12 20:39:06 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 12 20:51:20 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 12:49:25 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 12:51:22 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 14:58:39 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 08:26:48 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 00:17:08 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 00:07:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 27 22:08:31 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 27 22:25:06 -0800 2007
If you are looking at my reading timeline you will notice I was on some sort of "women who made a difference" biography kick this summer. Any recommendations? ]]> 5 0 false false Wed Apr 23 05:45:16 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 06:36:10 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri Jun 29 21:01:56 -0700 2007 Sat May 17 11:02:23 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Sat Nov 21 19:02:44 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 19:02:51 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 19 09:16:53 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 09:16:53 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Nov 21 10:10:05 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 07:08:12 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 07:08:12 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 10 11:42:42 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 11:42:42 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Nov 07 14:57:11 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 14:57:11 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 02:52:34 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 02:52:51 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Nov 04 19:01:07 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 19:01:07 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 03 14:36:48 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 14:36:48 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 03 12:01:43 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 12:01:43 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=78518