Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The intriguing story of Eleanor Roosevelt traces the life of the former First Lady from her early childhood through the tumultuous years in the White House to her active role in the founding of the United Nations after World War II. A Newberry Honor Book.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

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. The vast range of her interests and activities--journalism, politics and social activism--becomes even more remarkable as the author deftly considers Eleanor Roosevelt's times and her social milieu. Approximately 140 well-chosen black-and-white photos amplify the text. Freedman writes both authoritatively and compellingly, and the Eleanor that emerges is a complex, flesh-and-blood individual, not a dull heroine of textbook history. He also deals plainly with some of the more sordid aspects of the Roosevelts' married life (namely FDR's infidelity), but he never sensationalizes, and his honesty and candor signal his respect for his subject and for his readers. This biography cannot be recommended highly enough. Ages 9-up. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Gr. 5-9. "Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted to be a president's wife," but she never told her husband. From the first page, the style of this admiring photobiography is as direct and unpretentious as its subject, capturing her splendid public role and also her personal sadness. With a wealth of compelling photographs, Freedman draws heavily on her memoirs, allowing her simple intimate words to speak to all of us. With a new strong First Lady under attack now, it would have been interesting to know more of what Eleanor Roosevelt's opponents said about her, especially since Freedman provides a fine bibliographic essay but no notes and no references to criticism. What humanizes this portrait is the sense of her vulnerability, the strain of melancholy that underlies her shining intelligence and passionate sympathy. The chapters on her childhood make a poignant story: words and photographs show the shy, awkward outsider ("You have no looks, so see to it that you have manners," her beautiful mother told her). Then there's the drama of the ugly duckling's transformation: first when a great teacher "shocked" her into thinking; then later, when she changed from dutiful spouse, docile daughter-in-law, and society hostess to outspoken partner with her own radical political agenda. Her discovery of her husband's love affair is not sensationalized, but the drama is there: we feel her lifelong sense of betrayal. While Freedman does not go into the recent speculations about her passionate relationships, he talks about her long, close bonds of friendship and mutual affection with both men and women. Like his biography Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1990), this is a book to read across generations. The plain words and photographs evoke the cataclysmic times and the person, her celebrated political career and her private grief. ~--Hazel Rochman

Horn Book Review

Freedman has created a sensitive biography of Eleanor Roosevelt -- certainly sympathetic but not overly adulatory; it captures her spirit. The beautifully crafted text flows smoothly and is accompanied by over one hundred black-and-white photographs portraying Roosevelt at every age. Young readers will find inspiration, hope, and guidance in the life of the outstanding woman. Bib., ind. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

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. Even so, synthesizing a wealth of resources (ably surveyed in a descriptive bibliography), he brings her wonderfully to life as a rare blend of honesty, intelligence, deep concern for humanity, and ability to inspire loyalty and convey her ideas. Freedman at his best: a splendid achievement. Index. (Biography. 10+)