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ailurophile_bibliophile89's review against another edition
5.0
5 STARS
When I was younger, I had read biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt back in grade school, and ever since, I’ve admired her. I know I wrote a book report on one, perhaps even two at some point. But unfortunately, with age also comes memory loss, and I remember very little from those books. And, certainly given the age that I had written (before 13 but after age 11?) those reports, the biographies I read were geared towards the age level I was (supposed) to read at.
That being said – HOLY MOLY. There was so much more to Eleanor Roosevelt than I had ever imagined. It seems to me, and certainly to the author, Joseph P. Lash, that her upbringing, and then the griefs and losses that she endured as an adult, shaped her into the woman the world knows today.
However, the world does not know her history – or at least, cannot begin to understand that the woman we know was actually a very different woman in her early life. Of course, given the age in which she grew up in, that of the late 19th century, was bound to shape her opinions and beliefs.
Yet it is only after FDR commits such a grave sin against their marriage – one that few of my age and certainly many who are much younger than my spry millennial status know of – does she begin to emerge as the positive, influential social reformer that she is remembered as.
Lash, a man who personally knew her, cannot help but be biased. However, the effort he puts into keeping his opinions to a minimal is commendable. True, they become slightly more frequent when we reach the chapters where he met and knew her.
In any case, the amount of research such a biography requires is certainly extensive and the proof of this is in the writing, the details, the footnotes, and the amount of quotations and interviews he had to conduct. His writing, while not quite worshipful, is deeply respectful to a woman who is, in fact, worshipped for her good works.
There are few words to describe the awe, admiration, and respect I have for such a deeply modest woman. Indeed, what I felt towards her when I was younger is nothing compared to what I feel towards her today. Mr. Lash conveys this respect in his well-written, thoroughly researched, and amazing biography of the formative and middle years, of such an amazing beautiful, woman.
Bravo. 5 STARS indeed.
When I was younger, I had read biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt back in grade school, and ever since, I’ve admired her. I know I wrote a book report on one, perhaps even two at some point. But unfortunately, with age also comes memory loss, and I remember very little from those books. And, certainly given the age that I had written (before 13 but after age 11?) those reports, the biographies I read were geared towards the age level I was (supposed) to read at.
That being said – HOLY MOLY. There was so much more to Eleanor Roosevelt than I had ever imagined. It seems to me, and certainly to the author, Joseph P. Lash, that her upbringing, and then the griefs and losses that she endured as an adult, shaped her into the woman the world knows today.
However, the world does not know her history – or at least, cannot begin to understand that the woman we know was actually a very different woman in her early life. Of course, given the age in which she grew up in, that of the late 19th century, was bound to shape her opinions and beliefs.
Yet it is only after FDR commits such a grave sin against their marriage – one that few of my age and certainly many who are much younger than my spry millennial status know of – does she begin to emerge as the positive, influential social reformer that she is remembered as.
Lash, a man who personally knew her, cannot help but be biased. However, the effort he puts into keeping his opinions to a minimal is commendable. True, they become slightly more frequent when we reach the chapters where he met and knew her.
In any case, the amount of research such a biography requires is certainly extensive and the proof of this is in the writing, the details, the footnotes, and the amount of quotations and interviews he had to conduct. His writing, while not quite worshipful, is deeply respectful to a woman who is, in fact, worshipped for her good works.
There are few words to describe the awe, admiration, and respect I have for such a deeply modest woman. Indeed, what I felt towards her when I was younger is nothing compared to what I feel towards her today. Mr. Lash conveys this respect in his well-written, thoroughly researched, and amazing biography of the formative and middle years, of such an amazing beautiful, woman.
Bravo. 5 STARS indeed.
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