The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt

At once a heart-wrenching personal narrative and a unique historical document, The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt is the ultimate example of the personal as political. Eleanor Roosevelt stands as one of the world’s greatest humanitarians, having dedicated her remarkable life to the liberty and equality of all people. In this sincere and frank self-portrait she recounts her childhood – marked by the death of her mother and separation from the rest of her family at age seven – her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt; and the challenges of motherhood, including the tragic death of her second son, all of which occurred before her twenty-fifth birthday. It wasn’t till her thirties that Eleanor Roosevelt began the life for which she is known. A committed supporter of women’s suffrage, architect of the welfare state, leader of the UN Commission on Human Rights and author of the Declaration of Human Rights, as well as being a prolific writer, diplomat, visionary, pacifist and committed social activist, hers is the story of the twentieth century.