Citation:
Fleming, Candace. Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable life. AtheneumAnne Schwartz Books, 2005. Print.
Summary:
Eleanor Roosevelt is undoubtedly one of the most influential women of the 20th century. In this biography, Fleming relates the sad story of her childhood along with tales of her marriage, friendships, and voyage of self-discovery and self-improvement. This particular biography is presented in scrapbook format; meaning that it presents information in boxes along with pictures. This allows the reader to gloss over that information that really doesn't interest him/her and focus on what does.
Personal Impression:
I have always admired both Roosevelts, Eleanor and Franklin. However, I only knew the political side of both people. This book provided me with a lot more insight into the First Lady. I had no idea of the personal battle she fought to become the woman we all know and respect. I enjoyed the scrapbook effect. It added a personal nature to the story; making it more intimate. It was obvious this book was well researched. I am very impressed.
Reviews:
FLEMING, Candace. Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life. S & S/Athen­eum/An Anne Schwartz Bk. Tr $19.95. ISBN 0-689-86544-9.
Gr 4-8–A candid biography of an unhappy child who grew up to become an American icon. Chock-full of details and enhanced with news clips, quotations, photos, and more, this is an up-close-and-personal look at a private woman who was truly a citizen of the world. (Nov.)
Retrieved from School Library Journal, "Best Books 2005"; http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6286432.html
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. As in Fleming's Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life (2003), which was a 2004 Booklist Top 10 Biography, this takes a pastiche approach to humanizing a legendary life. Through anecdotes and archival photos drawn from an assortment of sources, Fleming invites readers into a camaraderie with the timid, neglected little girl who grew up to become the woman many nicknamed "copresident," and whose flouting of accepted gender roles earned her admiration and ridicule in equal measure. The details of Roosevelt's life are certainly riveting; however, Fleming's jigsaw-puzzle approach is probably best suited for use in conjunction with more traditional narratives, such as Russell Freedman's Newbery Honor Book Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (1993). In terms of Roosevelt's sexuality, for instance, the frank details about Roosevelt's bonds with known lesbians appear 15 pages before a segment that asks "Was She Or Wasn't She?" (Answer: who knows?)--a structural choice that seems to encourage assumptions rather than heading them off. That said, a broad audience, including many adults, will be intrigued by the volume's photo-album immediacy. Those eager to gain perspectives from other biographers may be frustrated by a list of related books primarily geared to younger children, although multimedia resources and exhaustive source notes offer plenty of opportunities to extend this intimate, unvarnished, and ultimately deeply moving portrait. Jennifer Mattson
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Uses in a Library Setting:
This would be an excellent book to use for Women's Studies and History as Eleanor Roosevelt had a huge impact on the women's movement. This is also a good example to use for scrapbooking ideas for those who want an informative scrapbook.
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