Eleanor Roosevelt “A Personal and Public Life”, written by William T. Youngs and edited by Mark Carnes is a stirring story of one of the most influential ladies in history. She dedicated her life to help others, advocated for civil rights, and was widely respected for her speeches and the compassion she showed for other people. The one thing she could not accept was war as a necessary element in human affairs. She opposed war and wanted a peaceful world for everyone to enjoy. Eleanor was reduced to tears when she saw badly injured men in hospitals. Not many people knew about the hardships Eleanor had to endure during her life, including: her father’s drinking problems, the deaths of many close family members, and even her husband’s affairs with many women. This biography is important because it gives us a detailed account of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. She was the oldest of Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt’s six children. Eleanor’s early years were awful compared to what normal girls her age went through. First, Eleanor’s mother made her feel insecure about her looks, which caused Eleanor to think little of herself. She basically hated the way she looked and desperately wanted to be beautiful like her mother. Next, Eleanor’s father developed a drinking problem. This caused her anguish because she loved her father and did not want him to drink so much. Elliot tried to stop drinking many times, but he was always depressed about something; including: his inability to provide Anna with luxury, not being able to visit his children, and finally, his failing real estate business. He was depress and often turned to alcohol to deal with his problems. Furthermore, he was having affairs with many women which drove Anna to leave him, exacerbating his problems. He tried for months to stop drinking and did for a while, but his life was too tough and he fell right back to drinking. Next, Eleanor had to deal with three deaths. Her mother died from diphtheria in December, then her little brother Ellie died from scarlet fever in May, and then her father in August, fell into a coma and died after he failed on a suicide attempt. Eleanor was heartbroken but she had strong constitution and was able to overcome. Within two years, Eleanor had lost her father, mother, and brother.
When Eleanor lost both of her parents, she moved in with her grandmother, Mary Hall. Due to Eleanor’s shyness, she did not have many friends; basically, her classmates thought that she was weird. The years that Eleanor spent with her grandmother were awful. She would tease her about her looks and simply denied her any fun. Eleanor’s best years as a child probably came when she was sent to Allenswood Academy in London. This is where Eleanor developed lifelong interests in politics, socials causes, history, literature, and where she met her role model Marie Souvestre. Eleanor’s time at Allenswood Academy changed her from being a shy and awkward kid into a confident and intelligent woman.
Coming back from England, Eleanor met her soon-to-be husband, Franklin, on a train. Over the next couple of months, they fell in love and eventually got married. They did everything together in the beginning; including: taking long walks, and long carriage rides through the woods. Franklin was now her husband and best friend. However, as the years went by, so did their bond and friendship.
Franklin held many positions including: Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a seat in the state legislature, Governor of New York, and President of the United States. During his time as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Eleanor found love letters from Lucy Mercer to her husband Franklin. She could not believe that Franklin would cheat on her. She thought that they had a bond with each other. The only thing that saved their marriage was that Franklin promised that he would never see Lucy Mercer again. The bond and trust that the couple had for so many years was disappearing. To keep the Roosevelts’ name alive, Eleanor started to make public appearances and give speeches; she had to because Franklin was suffering from polio. During this time, Eleanor learned to be a great speaker, and not to laugh so much while she was giving a speech.
When Franklin was elected governor and later president of the United States, their marriage was already suffering. They rarely spoke, and did not share a bed together. Sometimes they did not even stay in the same house. Eleanor and Franklin both thought that the other was having an affair, which cost them not to trust each other. When Franklin was president, he had to deal with many things including: his failing marriage and the nation was in a depression.
The depression meant hard times for many families. Most families did not have enough food for their families only had one pair of shoes and one uniform for several children. Only one could go to school at a time. Being compassionate, this just exacerbated their misery.
Eleanor had to deal with several deaths, first her mother- in- law Sara died in a coma, then a few weeks later, Eleanor’s brother Hall died, and then Franklin had a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died. When Eleanor found out about his death, she was shocked to learn that Franklin had not broken ties with Lucy Mercer. He was sitting for a portrait for Lucy Mercer’s daughter, and Lucy was there when Franklin collapsed. Franklin had been secretly having another affair with Lucy Mercer. Eleanor was crushed, because Franklin had broken his promise. After his death, Eleanor gave speeches everywhere, until her death on November 7, 1962.
In conclusion, I think that Eleanor Roosevelt was a great woman. She did many things to help women and minorities. Eleanor was a smart and intelligent woman who just wanted a peaceful world for all of us. People admired Eleanor simply because she cared about people. It did not matter if you were rich or poor, she would show you respect, and I admire her for that. Eleanor had a tough childhood, but she overcame it and became an American hero. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt.