
Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3
The War Years and After, 1939-1962
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Narrated by:
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Eliza Foss
The final volume in the definitive biography of America's greatest first lady.
Historians, politicians, critics, and listeners everywhere have praised Blanche Wiesen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt as the essential portrait of a woman who towers over the 20th century. The third and final volume takes us through World War II, FDR's death, the founding of the UN, and Eleanor Roosevelt's death in 1962. It follows the arc of war and the evolution of a marriage as the first lady realized the cost of maintaining her principles even as the country and her husband were not prepared to adopt them. Eleanor Roosevelt continued to struggle for her core issues - economic security, New Deal reforms, racial equality, and rescue - when they were sidelined by FDR while he marshaled the country through war. The chasm between Eleanor and Franklin grew, and the strains on their relationship were as political as they were personal. She also had to negotiate the fractures in the close circle of influential women around her at Val-Kill, but through it she gained confidence in her own vision, even when forced to amend her agenda when her beliefs clashed with government policies on such issues as neutrality, refugees, and eventually the threat of communism. These years - the war years - made Eleanor Roosevelt the woman she became: leader, visionary, guiding light. FDR's death in 1945 changed her world, but she was far from finished, returning to the spotlight as a crucial player in the founding of the United Nations.
This is a sympathetic but unblinking portrait of a marriage and of a woman whose passion and commitment has inspired generations of Americans to seek a decent future for all people. Modest and self-deprecating, a moral force in a turbulent world, Eleanor Roosevelt was unique.
©2016 Blanche Wiesen Cook (P)2016 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
“[T]he completion of Blanche Wiesen Cook’s monumental and inspirational life of Eleanor Roosevelt [series] is a notable event.... Volume 3 continues the story of Eleanor’s ‘journey to greatness’. Keeping the focus on her actions and reactions, Cook skillfully narrates the epic history of the war years.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“A monumental biography [and] an exhilarating story, as well as undeniably melancholy one. In her relentless efforts to push American democracy to fulfill its promises, Eleanor Roosevelt was ahead of her time. As we ponder our curdled political culture...it’s not at all clear that we have yet caught up to her.” (Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air)
“More than a presidential spouse, however, or feminist icon, the Eleanor Roosevelt who inhabits these meticulously crafted pages transcends both first-lady history and the marriage around which Roosevelt scholarship has traditionally pivoted.” (The Wall Street Journal)
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Excellent history of Eleanor Roosevelt
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I’m not sure I could have read these books but am delighted to have listened.
What a woman!
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JES
E R's efforts
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Eleanor Roosevelt was such a visionary, such an idealist, that her humanity leaps off the page. Her absolute decency and broad-mindedness were outstanding qualities; unfortunately, her husband was not as idealistic but then again the author may have judged him too harshly since he had to be elected and work with an increasingly rebellious Congress. Still, so many of the issues that threaten to tear our nation apart were prefigured during her time as First Lady and our inability or unwillingness to address these issues (eg wage gap, systemic racism, etc.) will continue to contribute to unrest and disaffection. Eleanor saw this and fought for justice for all.
This is the weakest of the three volumes because it seems more superficial and to relegate the 17 plus years of her life after her husband's death to an epilogue seems insulting. Her efforts on behalf of peace and making the world a better place are given a skimpy overview after FDR's death in Warm Springs. Disappointed that Cook treated her thus--like a typical male author might have ended the narrative once her important spouse was gone.
An American Visionary
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More on ER's final days wanted
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Great book, meh performance
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Big, Big Mistake
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Absolutely wonderful
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A Beacon of Light and Bravery
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A bit slow
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