The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt

A candid and insightful look at an era and a life through the eyes of one of the most remarkable women in politics of the twentieth century, First Lady and humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt.

The daughter of one of New York’s most influential families, niece of Theodore Roosevelt, and wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt witnessed some of the most remarkable decades in modern history, as America transitioned from the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and the Depression to World War II and the Cold War.

A champion of the downtrodden, Eleanor drew on her experience and used her role as First Lady to help those in need. Intimately involved in her husband’s political life, from the governorship of New York to the White House, Eleanor would become a powerful force of her own, heading women’s organizations and youth movements, and battling for consumer rights, civil rights, women’s rights, and improved housing. In the years after FDR’s death, this inspiring, controversial, and outspoken leader—one of the great First Ladies in American history—would become a U.N. Delegate, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, a newspaper columnist, Democratic Party activist, world-traveler, and diplomat devoted to the ideas of liberty and human rights.

This single volume autobiography brings her into focus through her own words, illuminating the vanished world she grew up, her life with her political husband, and the post-war years when she worked to broaden cooperation and understanding at home and abroad.

How did the shy, “old-fashioned” child of one of New York’s most influential families become one of the most powerful and beloved women in the world?

• A Political Memoir: Experience the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, and two World Wars through the eyes of a woman at the center of it all—from the governorship of New York to the White House.
• Twentieth Century American History: Witness intimate moments with historical figures like Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as America transitions from the Progressive Era to the Cold War.
• Pioneering Female Activism: Follow her evolution from a society matron into a powerful force for civil rights, consumer protection, and housing reform as a champion for the downtrodden.
• A Global Humanitarian: Discover the post-war years when she became a U.N. Delegate, chaired the Commission on Human Rights, and tirelessly worked for liberty and understanding across the globe.