Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World
July 30, 2018
Studded with lively anecdotes and archival photos, Cooper’s cogent biography elucidates the breadth of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s commitment to and efficacy in the fights for women’s rights, desegregation, and child labor law reforms. The author deftly juggles Roosevelt’s personal and public personas, moving through her lonely, unsettled childhood (she was orphaned by the age of nine), her sometimes volatile marriage to FDR, her indefatigable championing of underdogs, her pivotal influence over legislation, and her work as a U.S. delegate to the newly formed United Nations. Cooper also delves deeply into Roosevelt’s struggles to overcome her childhood-rooted racial and religious prejudices in order to fight against the same. Using ample, carefully sourced quotes from her subject, Cooper (A Woman in the House (and Senate)) provides an authentic, expansive portrait, incorporating concise explanations of historical milestones such as both world wars, the Great Depression, and the New Deal. In the present era of increasingly galvanized young activists and controversial immigration policies (Roosevelt advocated tirelessly on behalf of refugees and immigrants), this is an indisputably timely book. Ages 10–14.