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Title: Eleanor Roosevelt : A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman ISBN: 0-395-84520-3 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 14 April, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Woman of the century
Comment: To my mind there are two biographers that write for children and that can do no wrong. On is the ineffable J. Giblin (author of "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler") and one is Russell Freedman. Freedman is best known for his well-rounded and intensely researched biography of Abraham Lincoln (entitled "Lincoln: A Photobiography"), winner of the Newbery award. Turning his sights to a slightly more modern personage, Freedman examines the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Every biography needs a hook. It's not enough to lay out the facts of a person's life and let them speak for themselves. Many times, a work examining a famous figure needs to go a little further. To find out what exactly made this person tick. Eleanor Roosevelt's life was not a common one, but it many ways it began ordinarily. Born to beautiful but distant parents, Eleanor struggled with her plain looks and her inordinate shyness from day one. Freedman is often in a position to demonize those people in Roosevelt's life that let her down, yet he never wishes to do so. Rather than actually say, "Eleanor's parents were negligent baboons", the author instead places the facts before the viewer. Examining them, we see that, yes, they were negligent baboons. But we have reached that conclusion on our own, without being told what to think. So goes the rest of Freedman's book. As she grows, Eleanor matures, finds strength in herself, and eventually becomes the best known (and most widely respected) first lady of the United States.
There are a few problems with the biography, though they are small. The book allows itself a small flourish occasionally. One example might be Eleanor's death scene, wherein the author supposes that the former first lady may have seen the image of her father upon dying. Also, though the sources cited are many, Freedman fails to footnote a single page in any way (a talent Giblin has always excelled in). A timeline of Eleanor's life would not have been out of place here either. Just the same, these are small potatoes.
This is a book written specifically with children or young adults in mind. As such, it is interesting and informative. Beautiful photographs accompany almost every page, and there is even a small photo album of additional shots in the back. Hearsay and conjecture about Mrs. Eleanor's private life has been ignored entirely. The book does observe FDR's romantic liaisons (some provided by his daughter, no less) but it does not dwell on them obsessively. As Eleanor forgives but does not forget his dalliances, and so too the reader comes to forgive (maybe a little less) but not forget them either. FDR is interesting, but this is a book about Eleanor Roosevelt and the life she led. Anyone wishing to teach about a popular proto-feminist would do very well to use this woman as their primary example. Freedman has treated her with the dignity she deserves. It is a noteworthy accomplishment.
Rating: 5
Summary: This is a fantastic book to look into for information!
Comment: This book is one of the books that you should really read. It contains tons of information about Eleanor Roosevelt. I had to write a biography about her for a project at school and I aced it! This book had lots of pictures too. I could not put it down!
Rating: 5
Summary: Very well researched and fascinating!
Comment: As a fifth grade student, I did not think that reading a biography would be interesting. However, this book captured my interest from the beginning to the end. The author provides many details about Eleanor Roosevelt's life both before and after she met FDR. After reading this book I really admire Eleanor Roosevelt. She was truly a determined, caring woman.
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Title: Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman ISBN: 0395629780 Publisher: Clarion Books Pub. Date: 24 August, 1992 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Lincoln : A Photobiography by Russell Freedman ISBN: 0395518482 Publisher: Scott Foresman (Pearson K-12) Pub. Date: 25 September, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman, Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright ISBN: 082341082X Publisher: Holiday House Pub. Date: April, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis ISBN: 0440414121 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 08 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli ISBN: 0316809063 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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