Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life in American History

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.