Using Eleanor Roosevelt’s own words, personal correspondences, private documents, and a wide range of past perspectives and new biographical research, this book tells the intimate story of a real woman who struggled with a lack of self confidence but built a supportive network of like-minded activist women to realize change. One hundred years ago, Roosevelt was drawn into politics and public service by events that seem ripped from current events—an opiate crisis, a global pandemic, unsafe working conditions for immigrant women, and the human costs of war. Roosevelt’s story mirrors the challenges of the 21st century and offers real examples of how change is possible.
For students of history, politics, and women’s studies, this book brings together past perspectives with new biographical scholarship, primary resources, and Roosevelt’s own words to understand the female role models who shaped her and how Roosevelt in turn built a women’s network of friends and activists that changed U.S. politics and society.
Features
- Brings together a wide range of new resources and primary sources to peel away Eleanor Roosevelt's crafted public persona and reveal the real woman—her vulnerabilities, priorities, heartbreaks, and triumphs
- Provides readers with historical context in an easy-to-understand writing style to understand the important social changes Roosevelt contributed to and how her work continues to impact American lives in the 21st century
- Includes a timeline that places Roosevelt's life within historical context
- Includes primary documents that give voice to Roosevelt and her influence
- Introduces readers to the private Eleanor Roosevelt, the women who mentored her, and the network of female activists she led to open the door for American women in politics, government, and international diplomacy
