Books About Eleanor Roosevelt Recommended by Eleanor’s Grandchildren
Books About Eleanor Roosevelt Recommended by Eleanor’s Grandchildren
In honor of World Book Day, we asked some of the family of Eleanor Roosevelt to choose their favorite books about Mrs. Roosevelt. Each of these books dive deep into Eleanor’s personal life and give the reader an intimate perspective of her life, her relationships, and her thoughts and experiences. From Franklin and Eleanor’s personal relationship, to intimate letters written by the Roosevelt family, to autobiographies written by Eleanor herself, these books are essential for anyone who is passionate about getting to know Eleanor Roosevelt. Enjoy these personal recommendations from Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves (granddaughter), Anna Eleanor Fierst (great-granddaughter), and Sara Boettiger (great-granddaughter)!
If you like these book recommendations, be sure to check out our online shop, where you can purchase some of these books along with some other essential items for any fan of Eleanor Roosevelt or the Eleanor Roosevelt Center.
Tomorrow is Now by Eleanor Roosevelt
“To paraphrase from the introduction by Roosevelt scholar, Allida Black, ‘ER challenged politicians who protected their careers at the expense of American justice. She had become impatient with the politics of avoidance. Furthermore, college students need to look at their own power to reclaim democracy.'”
–Anna Eleanor Fierst, great-granddaughter
Mother and Daughter by Bernard Asbell
“Biographies and memoirs are written for the public ear, but letters are different. You can hear their voices, learn the details of daily life. My grandmother was the oldest of five and the only daughter. This book follows an arc of 50 years of a mother-daughter relationship.”
–Sara Boettiger, great-granddaughter
Eleanor by David Michaelis
“The author weaves appealing chapters on ER’s life from birth to her last years in Hyde Park and New York City. Michaelis succeeds in balancing social history with factual details and as a thorough biography told with modern flair, he succeeds beautifully.”
–Anna Eleanor Fierst, great-granddaughter
The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia by Maurine Hoffman Beasley, Holly Cowan Shulman, Henry R. Beasley
“If anyone has ever wondered how Eleanor Roosevelt worked with or knew a particular person, this is the book for you. The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia by editors Beasley and Shulman covers topics as well such as the FBI’s surveillance of ER, or the Anti-Lynching Movement. With a foreword by Blanche Wiesen Cook, the coverage in an A to Z format is a superb reference tool.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves, granddaughter
Eleanor Roosevelt Volume 2 and 3 by Blanche Wiesen Cook
“ER’s life during the war years and how the White House became the pole star for so many world notables (including Norwegian royalty) makes a reader better understand the tensions between FDR and the First Lady, but it also describes their redefined partnership. As part of Blanche Wiesen Cook’s third biographical volume, it draws a vivid picture of ER and her closest allies as a world war unfolded.”
–Anna Eleanor Fierst, great-granddaughter
Check out our online shop for more books and essential items for fans of Eleanor Roosevelt!
About the Eleanor Roosevelt Center
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center is dedicated to breathing new life into the precedents set and the legacies left behind by the First Lady of the World, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. We strive to be Eleanor Roosevelt’s heart, mind and voice in realizing a better world – a world of acceptance, opportunity, dignity and respect for all.
About the Eleanor Roosevelt Center
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center is dedicated to breathing new life into the precedents set and the legacies left behind by the First Lady of the World, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. We strive to be Eleanor Roosevelt’s heart, mind and voice in realizing a better world – a world of acceptance, opportunity, dignity and respect for all.