a well researched and written biography of one of America's greatest patriots. a must read for any history buff, especially one that loves learning about the New Deal/post-WWII period of American history.

I thought I knew so much about one of our more incredible first ladies, but I had so much more to learn.

The book told how fiercely she campaigned for education about democracy, racism, women's rights, equality and how Mrs. Roosevelt also learned to advocate for herself through her incredible big and small acts.

Mr. Michaelis's honest storytelling had me brewing coffee so I could read late into the night for just one more chapter.

I very much appreciated the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

FRD is forever one of my favorite presidents, and as a teacher of a high school Women's history course I have to say that I was very embarrassed by my lack of knowledge of Eleanor. She was a force, I knew that. But after reading this book I am now more aware of her importance and really just the fight and grit she showed in her life.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a fascinating person, and I’m glad I read this book and learned more about her. My only complaint is that I felt the story skipped around at times, and I had a hard time following it in some places. All in all, it was a good, informative book.

I’m a big fan of biography, and I’ve read many about Eleanor (and Franklin) Roosevelt over the years, so I was loosely forward to seeing this book.
I wasn’t disappointed. Michaelis, drawing on new research, paints a broad picture of a woman who would have been at home in today’s society.
I think most folks know a bit about her story: her parents died when she was young (her father was a brother of Theodore Roosevelt); she married her fifth cousin, Franklin, who, it turned out, was a most unfaithful husband (even if he did become president); and learned that she was going to have to make her own friendships and emotional connections.
There was a well-hidden side of Eleanor, or at least any comments about her close relationships with women and younger men were made quietly.
A woman with intelligence about current events, if she had been around today, I believe she’d be found in the political arena.

Eleanor is filled with many tidbits of an amazing life. I learned so many things I didn’t know. I enjoy reading books about former Presidents and First Ladies.

Eleanor by David Michaelis is an engaging biography of possibly the most well-known First Lady in American history. Not simply a chronological retelling of her life, it also reveals behind-the-scenes details about political campaigns and some lesser-known history of the 20th century.

The reader reaches a better understanding of this remarkable woman through details of her personal life, both the successes and the disappointments. The book traces not only her life as a wife and First Lady, but also her own political career both before and after her time in the White House.

Not only the story of an individual, Eleanor also provides a brief history of the women’s movement by recognizing the contributions of many of her contemporaries: women who, like Roosevelt, refused to accept outdated notions that a woman had no place in politics.

“Eleanor” is a study of a remarkable life, from her first breath until her last, she was an amazing person. This is an in-depth look at one of the most famous women in American history, full of facts, anecdotes, and accounts of the life of one of our most influential first ladies. While this book is long, it is chock-full of things to keep one’s interest and written in a very readable, yet factual, voice. If you have time to sink yourself into a good read, I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This is the first biography in one volume that focuses solely on Eleanor. I found the first half of the book to be quite an interesting read, but the author got bogged down in tiny details during her years as First Lady. I was not able to finish the book. I put it down for a while and never came back to it. I still think it's a good book, but it's too long for me!

Reading biographies gives me a chance to get to know the person better. There is always information you discover you were unaware. I new very little about her other than what is widely know. I found this book to be full of information and well researched. I was sad learning about her childhood and how little most people that were supposed to love and care for actually cared more about themselves. As is usually the case, these experiences are the very things that help us to be who we are as we grow up and become our own person. She was a great lady. Many have tried and failed to come close to her many accomplishments. We often hear more about Presidents and their legacies, but seldom do we learn about what the First Ladies accomplish. It is very possible that she has outshined FDR. She championed the weak and persons with no voice. She put others before herself unlike the many media needy we now have. She wanted to be remembered fondly, she is and will continue to remain one of our greatest if not the greatest First Ladies of the United States. A life well lived and remembered.

Over the years, I have admired the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and David Michaelis' Eleanor does a great job to showing why. Wonderful read. Five stars.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

I have always admired Eleanor as a advocate for women's rights and a humanitarian . She truly set the bar for First Ladies for the future for generations to come. This is a outstanding body of work that goes back to her childhood and takes the reader on a fascinating journey through her life and accomplishments. I had not read of her childhood prior to this book and found it interesting. to understand her background. Eleanor was a accomplished important figure in our history. She was a outspoken woman who never lost her own voice and stood up for those in our country with no voice. This book truly captures her life in its entirety and her time as First Lady. I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy American history about our First Ladies. The author illustrates her great importance to our Nation and why she is still today such a popular figure in history

Eleanor is a fantastic biography by the famed biographer, David Michaelis, about the well-lived life of Anna "Eleanor" Roosevelt.

While much has been published about the longest-serving First Lady, this nearly 600-page book encapsulates six decades. From Eleanor's early childhood to the controversy surrounding her end-of-life medical care.

This is meticulously researched content. And much of it came from Eleanor's autobiography as well as the original letters to her friends (and even lovers and romantic interests). Despite the length, it was an adventurous and educational read.

As readers, we get a lot of insider information and gossip ... what we didn't learn in U.S. History class. For example, we witness Eleanor's father's alcoholism, her mother's inability to nurture and her desperate need to please (when she did her entire life). Then she's' orphaned in her teens and we watch her flourish at boarding school. And we see her build a friendship with her cousin, Franklin. They shared a love of books (hooray!) Amazingly, their marriage survived countless years of betrayal and hardship. But they formed a partnership that is still commonplace today. Some of the bits on adultery in the White House is like a script taken from the Kennedy and Clinton eras. Even from a House of Cards on Netflix. Some things never change when it comes to marriage, power and politics.

I very much enjoyed this extensive bio, and imagine that hard-core history buffs will appreciate it as well. And if you're looking for a bit of inspiration during this trying political and social times, Eleanor's work in social justice might just fit the bill. She would have made an excellent politician if she'd just had more confidence in herself.

Eleanor by David Michaelis can be pre-ordered before it goes on sale November 1. The author, using new in-depth research, covers the whole story of Eleanor Roosevelt from her birth into a family defined by wealth and social status privilege to her death as a major world influence for human rights for all. Her childhood with dysfunctional parents before she is orphaned brings thoughts of “poor little rich girl.” Growing up with family guardians filled with ethnic prejudice and concerned with social status, she initially absorbed those attitudes. The book traces her change as she becomes a major activist in American and worldwide efforts advocating, “If we cannot keep in check anti-Semitism, anti-racial feelings as well as anti-religious feelings, then we shall have removed from the world, the one real hope for the future on which all humanity must rely.”

Her family forms a fascinating story that might be rejected in fiction as too unbelievable. Her plain Jane marriage to her debonair fifth cousin Franklin Roosevelt seems doomed from the start, carrying the additional baggage of an interfering mother-in-law with a “Mama’s boy” for a husband. Even six children, with one dying young, does not bring an emotional bond between them. Yet when Franklin becomes involved with his younger prettier secretary Lucy Mercer and Eleanor offers a divorce, he does not take her up on it. The truth is Eleanor and Franklin need each other.

Over time, he gives her partnership in his own ambitions to become President and brings her from volunteer work to the forefront as a spokesperson and a voice for those who have none. She becomes an equal partner in his ambitions and continues after his death in broader ways as President Truman appointed her to serve in the United Nations. Franklin needed her for her advocacy in his public persona and in private for the nursing and care she gave during his bout with polio and other illnesses. He also needed the cover she gave for his disability as the polio took his dexterity and again for his failing health that threatened his last run for the White House.

Eleanor remained emotionally vulnerable for her entire life with many efforts at close relationships that were stronger on her side than on her recipients. Her strength and status in the public arena contrasted with her need for personal closeness. She gave her children freedom that had been denied to her to live their own lives. Perhaps an insight into how she lived this extraordinary life may be in a comment to her children as they followed Franklin’s casket, “Much further back I had had to face certain difficulties until I decided to accept the fact that a man must be what he is, life must be lived as it is . . . and you cannot live at all if you do not adapt yourself to your life as it happens to be.”

This well-written and thoroughly researched biography covers the details of Eleanor's life, from her unhappy childhood with a selfish mother who referred to her serious child as "granny;" to her schooling at a wonderful academy which would give her some much-deserved recognition; a marriage with a man whose mother dominated his life and who cheated on her; and finally coming into her own as a spokesperson for the underdog. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

CNN is running a documentary series on America's First Ladies. That got me interested in this new account of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. A town near where I live is named after her and I believe one of the results of her Arthurdale project.

This book reveals an unbelievable woman. She always felt not good enough, not pretty enough, not social enough, but even though she felt she was always on the outside looking in, I believe that she became a woman maybe loved more than her husband. She was compassionate, untiring and always ready to take care of others. She was made for civil rights, women's rights and the belief that all men are created equal.

This is a good biography about an amazing woman. I read this book for review for Netgalley. From her childhood through her adult life, she was unusual...making her mark on the world and those around her. Although often too many details, the story is a great one.

The bad thing about reading biographies is you know how they’ll end. But even though I thought I knew a fair amount about Eleanor Roosevelt, I didn’t know much about her death, which was very sad. She had tuberculosis, of all things, and refused proper treatment.

In fact, despite her great accomplishments, it’s difficult not to see her whole life as somewhat sad. She was deprived long-lasting love by her parents, her husband, and her lovers, and it’s not clear whether her own children appreciated her. Widely considered to be homely (and consequently discounted), her contributions to humanity were not valued during her lifetime.

Decades ago, a friend complained that biographies of ER painted FDR as a villain and certainly it is easy to do so, but after reading this treatment, I’m still convinced he’s deserving of that label. While ER grew out of the sort of casual racism she was brought up with, FDR never evolved. She was seen as nagging, but she was behind most of his accomplishments.

At 720 pages, this bio requires commitment, but it’s worth it. Michaelis’s prose is very readable, and the list of people is helpful. I laughed when I read his description of John Foster Dulles as “vinegar faced.” I used to work at an archival repository with many JFD images and I can think of no better description of his visage.

It was surprising how many parallels could be drawn to today’s administration. The democrats of the early-mid twentieth century were hardly saints, but had some concept of public service. My only complaint about the book was Adlai Stevenson received little attention. #Eleanor #NetGalley #DavidMichaelis

I’ve always admired Eleanor Roosevelt. This book Eleanor is written in such a way that you can feel the heartache and loss but makes me admire Eleanor Roosevelt even more. The way she dealt with obstacles shows her perseverance and her strength making her a true heroine.

This account of the public and private life of Eleanor Roosevelt has been captivating. Her tenderness, her giving and benevolent nature, her perseverance, and her motivation are all evident. Michaelis presents an Eleanor who had to evolve and grow into the woman we know. It's comforting to remember that she didn't start out as an icon. She grew into that role, and Michaelis offers an entertaining and compelling look into the pivotal moments of her life.