Eleanor and Franklin is one of the most highly acclaimed biographies written in recent times. Its author, Joseph Lash, won the Pulitzer and National Book Award in biography, as well as the Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians. Its focus is
Eleanor Roosevelt and her complex relationship with
FDR. Based on her personal papers and ranging from her birth in 1884 to the death of her husband in 1945, this fascinating study reveals new dimensions in a marriage that had a significant impact on the course of American history.
Written with great insight and sensitivity by an author who was a close friend of Mrs. Roosevelt's for over twenty years, the volume explores the personal, familial and social influences that shaped Eleanor and prepared her for role as first lady and chief counselor to the president. In many ways Eleanor was her husband's conscience. Her idealism dictated the terms of the complex partnership she evolved with her husband during his rise through local and national politics.
Background Information
Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, became the first First Lady to establish her importance beyond her role as the president's wife. Franklin D. Roosevelt overcame polio to become president during the Great Depression and World War II.