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Eleanor vs. Ike
It is a time of turmoil, with the nation mired in an unpopular war in Korea and with Senator Joseph McCarthy stirring up fear of a lurking Communist "menace." Racial discrimination is rampant. A woman's place is in the home. And when a shocking act of God eliminates the Democratic presidential nominee, the party throws its support to an unlikely standard bearer: former First Lady and goodwill ambassador to the world Eleanor Roosevelt.
Captivating and fast-paced, Eleanor vs. Ike pits the unforgettable Eleanor against the enormously popular war hero Gen. Dwight David ("Ike") Eisenhower. But while the opponents promise "an honest campaign," their strategists mire the race in scandal and bitter innuendo. Suddenly Eleanor finds herself a target of powerful insiders who mean to destroy her good name—and Ku Klux Klan assassins dedicated to her death—as she gets caught up in a mad whirl of appearances and political maneuvering . . . and a chance encounter with a precocious five-year-old named Hillary Rodham.
Captivating and fast-paced, Eleanor vs. Ike pits the unforgettable Eleanor against the enormously popular war hero Gen. Dwight David ("Ike") Eisenhower. But while the opponents promise "an honest campaign," their strategists mire the race in scandal and bitter innuendo. Suddenly Eleanor finds herself a target of powerful insiders who mean to destroy her good name—and Ku Klux Klan assassins dedicated to her death—as she gets caught up in a mad whirl of appearances and political maneuvering . . . and a chance encounter with a precocious five-year-old named Hillary Rodham.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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165 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 20, 2008
Having a hard time getting through this. It's been a few weeks and I'm only on chapter 5. I can't get into it...I am not drawn in by the way the author gives Eleanor Roosevelt voice. It seems like she is from 2008, not 1952. Not sure if I'm going to finish this one...
September 11, 2012
Gerber takes the spirit of Hillary Clinton's 2007-08 campaign and plunks it smartly into the 1952 campaign, in the form of Eleanor Roosevelt. This is cotton candy for political junkies.
March 28, 2018
Robin Gerber’s alternate history novel is based on an intriguing premise: as he takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952, Adlai Stevenson suffers a fatal heart attack. Facing a fractious convention and a politically formidable Republican nominee, the party’s leaders turn to Eleanor Roosevelt and ask her to serve as their standard-bearer. After reluctantly accepting the offer, Roosevelt begins a spirited campaign with the help of a rising young campaign manager and the devotion of her many passionate supporters. Yet in addition to facing long odds and a politically formidable Republican nominee, she must also undertake an additional challenge that no nominee before her has ever had to address: that of convincing Americans that the nation is indeed ready for a female president.
Like science fiction in general, alternate history is a genre dominated by the interests and attitudes of men. Because of this, many scenarios focus on wars or the decisions made by political leaders. This is what makes Gerber’s book so refreshingly different. Her focus on Eleanor Roosevelt offers a nice change of pace, supplying an imaginative speculation of the type that distinguishes the best works of the genre. Having written a previous, nonfiction book on Roosevelt, , she has an easy familiarity with the particulars of her life, which allows Gerber to develop her into a well-defined character. Yet this book is about more than just Eleanor Roosevelt. Published in 2008, it advances a none-too-subtle argument that the time has come for a woman to be elected president – a point that Gerber makes explicit with a chance encounter between Roosevelt and a young Hillary Rodham.
Though such a detail may date the novel somewhat, Gerber’s novel transcends this point to offer a dramatic narrative of a election that might have been. Based as much as possible on the words and actions of the people at the times, it does not sacrifice plausibility in speculating on what a Eleanor Roosevelt candidacy might have looked like, nor does it sacrifice readability to offer a dry recitation of details. Though some of her other characters are not as well defined as her central protagonist, Gerber has written an enjoyable book that is well worth the time of fans of political novels and alternate history tales.
Like science fiction in general, alternate history is a genre dominated by the interests and attitudes of men. Because of this, many scenarios focus on wars or the decisions made by political leaders. This is what makes Gerber’s book so refreshingly different. Her focus on Eleanor Roosevelt offers a nice change of pace, supplying an imaginative speculation of the type that distinguishes the best works of the genre. Having written a previous, nonfiction book on Roosevelt, , she has an easy familiarity with the particulars of her life, which allows Gerber to develop her into a well-defined character. Yet this book is about more than just Eleanor Roosevelt. Published in 2008, it advances a none-too-subtle argument that the time has come for a woman to be elected president – a point that Gerber makes explicit with a chance encounter between Roosevelt and a young Hillary Rodham.
Though such a detail may date the novel somewhat, Gerber’s novel transcends this point to offer a dramatic narrative of a election that might have been. Based as much as possible on the words and actions of the people at the times, it does not sacrifice plausibility in speculating on what a Eleanor Roosevelt candidacy might have looked like, nor does it sacrifice readability to offer a dry recitation of details. Though some of her other characters are not as well defined as her central protagonist, Gerber has written an enjoyable book that is well worth the time of fans of political novels and alternate history tales.
November 29, 2008
A fun read. If you know the history of that era it can be predictable but either way, you'll probably learn things about Eleanor Roosevelt you may not have known before.
February 11, 2023
A fun what if that leaves you wishing if only.
May 19, 2017
Seldom do I finish political fiction, but this one held my interest. Like all such, it is frustrating to deal with what is accurate and what is fiction. The author spent too much time on allegations of sexual affairs by Eleanor, FDR, and Ike. She simplified the policy differences between the parties in 1952 to race and socialism, and the candidate's gender, when there had to be many more issues. As in 2016, if one sees the presidential race as only the gender of the candidates, it ignores much. The fiction reference to Eleanor meeting Hillary was distracting. I wonder how this book would be different if written after the 2016 election. It seems that the author did not live through 1952 but just heard a sanitized version afterwards
October 19, 2025
As a lifelong admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt, I was excited and intrigued by the premise of this book. What if Eleanor HAD run for President?! Being familiar with the facts of her life, I was captivated by the masterful way Gerber integrated facts with the fictional story. It was a page turner, and I was rooting for Eleanor throughout. This book is a beautiful tribute to the life and legacy of one of history’s finest and most impactful humans.
July 31, 2018
Interesting concept. Could a women have been elected in the 1950s?
March 1, 2020
Excellent! If only it were true all the way through. Loved reading it now, during the current Democratic debates.
October 5, 2020
Would that there were a sequel!
January 17, 2017
A plausible what if scenario. What if the Democratic Nominee for the 1952 Presidential election, Adlai Stevenson, died right after being nominated? Who would be his replacement? In this book, Eleanor Roosevelt runs against Eisenhower. There is also an appearance of a very young HRC.
August 25, 2008
Historical Fiction Parallels Today’s Presidential Campaign Politics
My first attempt at fiction, The Sex Ed Chronicles, was based on historical events in my hometown and state, but it was a story of fictional characters. However, there are brilliant works of historical fiction that stay truer to history, when they use well-known historical figures in alternate scenarios.
Eleanor and Ike by Robin Gerber is one such work of fiction.
In Eleanor and Ike, the presidential race features no incumbent president or vice president, only the year is 1952 and the former First Lady at the top of the ticket is Eleanor Roosevelt. It’s interesting, as I read this story, the similarities to the current aspirations of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Like Hillary, Eleanor subordinated personal political ambitions to advance the career of her husband. As First Ladies both traveled around the world representing the United States, were active in the cause of working women and opposition to racial discrimination. Both played important roles in shaping foreign policy. They also had to lead in times of war. Sadly, both had to deal with extramarital affairs before their husbands became President.
Robin Gerber, the author of Eleanor and Ike, is an Eleanor Roosevelt scholar; she’s also written a non-fiction work about the late First Lady’s leadership style.
In this work, Eleanor does not promise to continue the economic policies of her late husband’s New Deal in this post-World War II world. She calls her platform America’s Deal based on equality of rights: the right to an education according to ability; the right to earn a living according to ability; the right to equal justice before the law; and the right to participate in government through the ballot, protection of civil liberties, and universal health care.
That’s a platform Hillary Clinton, or any other Democratic candidate, could have run on 56 years later.
America’s Deal would not be the only similarity; we feared nuclear proliferation and the emergence of controversial leadership in Korea then, as now. There were also concerns about homeland security dominating the news in 1952, just as they do today. We also have fears at home; then it was the spread of Communism, today it is terrorism.
Had Eleanor Roosevelt actually run for President, she, like Hillary Clinton, would have led at a time after our institutions, such as Congress and the presidency, had been attacked at gunpoint. President Eleanor Roosevelt would have taken office two years after immigrant gunmen attempted to assassinate President Truman, in the cause of Puerto Rican independence. Puerto Rican Nationalists opened fire on a live session of the House of Representatives 14 months after Eisenhower took office, injuring five members of Congress.
In Gerber’s work, Eleanor’s campaign also thinks about “change”, just as presidential candidates do today. As she is about to kick-off her campaign, a band plays Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner, a hymn of praise to the joys of the Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" automobile; it’s also rumored she will campaign in an Oldsmobile 88 convertible. When Eleanor asks about the choice of song, she’s told: “It represents change. It’s a young people’s song, not a gray-haired grandma kind of song.”
This is where historical fiction breaks away from the realities of today’s Democratic campaign; Hillary Clinton has been unfairly portrayed as old news and politics-as-usual, when the truth is that she has not been a member of the party in power during six of her seven years in the Senate. I don’t see how any Democratic candidate who comes from the Senate could be viewed as a leader for change when they didn’t have the chance to win votes for their legislation.
That goes for Senators Clinton and Obama; John Edwards has not been an office holder for the past four years. However, it also goes true for the Republicans; as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert once said, they’ve carried the water for their president. There are not many new tunes from the other side, just a rewind of the same Bush songs.
When asked if Eleanor Roosevelt could be elected president today, Gerber said that she’d win in a landslide. She says there is a deep hunger in our country for a leader with conviction, integrity, demonstrated compassion, and authentic humanity.
Those are all traits where Hillary Clinton scored low in opinion polls and Senator Obama scored high.
Maybe she should have bought a copy of this book at the start of her campaign.
My first attempt at fiction, The Sex Ed Chronicles, was based on historical events in my hometown and state, but it was a story of fictional characters. However, there are brilliant works of historical fiction that stay truer to history, when they use well-known historical figures in alternate scenarios.
Eleanor and Ike by Robin Gerber is one such work of fiction.
In Eleanor and Ike, the presidential race features no incumbent president or vice president, only the year is 1952 and the former First Lady at the top of the ticket is Eleanor Roosevelt. It’s interesting, as I read this story, the similarities to the current aspirations of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Like Hillary, Eleanor subordinated personal political ambitions to advance the career of her husband. As First Ladies both traveled around the world representing the United States, were active in the cause of working women and opposition to racial discrimination. Both played important roles in shaping foreign policy. They also had to lead in times of war. Sadly, both had to deal with extramarital affairs before their husbands became President.
Robin Gerber, the author of Eleanor and Ike, is an Eleanor Roosevelt scholar; she’s also written a non-fiction work about the late First Lady’s leadership style.
In this work, Eleanor does not promise to continue the economic policies of her late husband’s New Deal in this post-World War II world. She calls her platform America’s Deal based on equality of rights: the right to an education according to ability; the right to earn a living according to ability; the right to equal justice before the law; and the right to participate in government through the ballot, protection of civil liberties, and universal health care.
That’s a platform Hillary Clinton, or any other Democratic candidate, could have run on 56 years later.
America’s Deal would not be the only similarity; we feared nuclear proliferation and the emergence of controversial leadership in Korea then, as now. There were also concerns about homeland security dominating the news in 1952, just as they do today. We also have fears at home; then it was the spread of Communism, today it is terrorism.
Had Eleanor Roosevelt actually run for President, she, like Hillary Clinton, would have led at a time after our institutions, such as Congress and the presidency, had been attacked at gunpoint. President Eleanor Roosevelt would have taken office two years after immigrant gunmen attempted to assassinate President Truman, in the cause of Puerto Rican independence. Puerto Rican Nationalists opened fire on a live session of the House of Representatives 14 months after Eisenhower took office, injuring five members of Congress.
In Gerber’s work, Eleanor’s campaign also thinks about “change”, just as presidential candidates do today. As she is about to kick-off her campaign, a band plays Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner, a hymn of praise to the joys of the Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" automobile; it’s also rumored she will campaign in an Oldsmobile 88 convertible. When Eleanor asks about the choice of song, she’s told: “It represents change. It’s a young people’s song, not a gray-haired grandma kind of song.”
This is where historical fiction breaks away from the realities of today’s Democratic campaign; Hillary Clinton has been unfairly portrayed as old news and politics-as-usual, when the truth is that she has not been a member of the party in power during six of her seven years in the Senate. I don’t see how any Democratic candidate who comes from the Senate could be viewed as a leader for change when they didn’t have the chance to win votes for their legislation.
That goes for Senators Clinton and Obama; John Edwards has not been an office holder for the past four years. However, it also goes true for the Republicans; as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert once said, they’ve carried the water for their president. There are not many new tunes from the other side, just a rewind of the same Bush songs.
When asked if Eleanor Roosevelt could be elected president today, Gerber said that she’d win in a landslide. She says there is a deep hunger in our country for a leader with conviction, integrity, demonstrated compassion, and authentic humanity.
Those are all traits where Hillary Clinton scored low in opinion polls and Senator Obama scored high.
Maybe she should have bought a copy of this book at the start of her campaign.
November 21, 2015
Not unlike todays politicians, her leadership speaks of equality and fairness, retelling of past glories, and in her case recycling an old Deal as new. It's an era in which women contemplated their role in politics, yet Gerber dwells on bedfellows.
Gerber takes the reader back to 1952 and concocts a fantastical yarn in which Eleanor Roosevelt over comes bumbling fellow Democrats which allows her to win the party nomination. Then Roosevelt goes head to head against General Eisenhower, good ole Ike stumbles in debates and speeches, and she wins the Presidency in a tight electoral battle. There is no arguing that in real life she was a courageous, ground breaking politician and incredible person. Yet in this book Roosevelt largely wins the Presidency due to name recognition, being female, etc... as she rises to the top on the misfortunes and failings of her opponents. Is that really a candidate we want to rally around? Along the way Gerber chooses to embellish upon Roosevelt’s lesbian relations with Laura Hickok, as well as introduce several other couples. It’s unclear to me how the relationships help ones political leadership standing or sway voters.
I believe we may someday elect for President a female, a minority, a physically disabled person, gay, lesbian, atheist or even an elderly person(over 85 yrs). But it will be due to their leadership, ideas, ideals, skills, abilities, etc…
Gerber takes the reader back to 1952 and concocts a fantastical yarn in which Eleanor Roosevelt over comes bumbling fellow Democrats which allows her to win the party nomination. Then Roosevelt goes head to head against General Eisenhower, good ole Ike stumbles in debates and speeches, and she wins the Presidency in a tight electoral battle. There is no arguing that in real life she was a courageous, ground breaking politician and incredible person. Yet in this book Roosevelt largely wins the Presidency due to name recognition, being female, etc... as she rises to the top on the misfortunes and failings of her opponents. Is that really a candidate we want to rally around? Along the way Gerber chooses to embellish upon Roosevelt’s lesbian relations with Laura Hickok, as well as introduce several other couples. It’s unclear to me how the relationships help ones political leadership standing or sway voters.
I believe we may someday elect for President a female, a minority, a physically disabled person, gay, lesbian, atheist or even an elderly person(over 85 yrs). But it will be due to their leadership, ideas, ideals, skills, abilities, etc…
September 4, 2008
I read this book the first time a few months ago - back when Clinton and Obama were still virtually neck and neck in the primaries. It's an extremely interesting, and powerful book. A few times the writing got to me in such a way that I had to put the book down to compose myself a little bit!
The great thing about this novel were the small details. Like a chance meeting between Eleanor and a young (Republican!) Hillary Rodham! On the flip side, the big detractor from the novel were the small details. The author isn't a fiction writer by trade, and sometimes it seemed like she crammed extraneous information into the book just to prove how well she researched the election and the time period in order to make Eleanor's candidacy as historically accurate as possible. But these are small detractions, and don't make the book unreadable by any means.
The great thing about this novel were the small details. Like a chance meeting between Eleanor and a young (Republican!) Hillary Rodham! On the flip side, the big detractor from the novel were the small details. The author isn't a fiction writer by trade, and sometimes it seemed like she crammed extraneous information into the book just to prove how well she researched the election and the time period in order to make Eleanor's candidacy as historically accurate as possible. But these are small detractions, and don't make the book unreadable by any means.
October 13, 2015
I read this book for the A Book A Day Keeps the Boredom at Bay challenge. 4 – 4th of July is Independence Day. Read a book with a red, white and blue cover, or that is set on the US, or has the US flag on the cover. Or read a book where the main character is fighting for his independence or for some greater good.
This was an interesting book, but ultimately I feel like it was too predictable. The cameo appearance by a young Hillary Rodham felt too forced, and I feel like this writer was just trying to make the point that, "see, a woman could have been president!" Eleanor is awesome, I consider her to be one of my personal heroes, and I think this point of view diminishes her legacy. The book was entertaining enough, although I don't think I'd read it again.
This was an interesting book, but ultimately I feel like it was too predictable. The cameo appearance by a young Hillary Rodham felt too forced, and I feel like this writer was just trying to make the point that, "see, a woman could have been president!" Eleanor is awesome, I consider her to be one of my personal heroes, and I think this point of view diminishes her legacy. The book was entertaining enough, although I don't think I'd read it again.
January 19, 2016
It's an interesting idea, having Eleanor Roosevelt running against Eisenhower in 1952, rather than Stevenson. It has been said that there are no wrong alternate histories, but only probable ones. This one, being somewhat slight, does not seem to rise to that level.
Conservatives, should they bother to read this book, would no doubt howl at they way events turn. And admittedly, the much-noted encounter with a 5-year-old Hillary Rodham is thoroughly gratuitous, but mercifully brief and is not a plot point in any way.
So while it is apparent that Robin Gerber is a good writer and CAN write fiction [this book is her first fiction; I dont know if there have been more since], she's no Harry Turtledove.
Conservatives, should they bother to read this book, would no doubt howl at they way events turn. And admittedly, the much-noted encounter with a 5-year-old Hillary Rodham is thoroughly gratuitous, but mercifully brief and is not a plot point in any way.
So while it is apparent that Robin Gerber is a good writer and CAN write fiction [this book is her first fiction; I dont know if there have been more since], she's no Harry Turtledove.
June 1, 2008
I really enjoyed this well-researched book.
In spite of my conservative, somewhat Republican leanings, I thoroughly enjoyed this work of (science?!?!)fiction.
The surprisingly believable premise is that Eleanor Roosevelt is drafted to run for President in 1952 when Adlai Stevenson drops dead on the convention floor. It is well researched and well written and a joy for anyone who enjoys the politics of the post-war era and/or the Roosevelts and their lives.
In the back of the book, are Gerber's notes regarding the sources of some of the happenings in the book--she takes them directly from history when she can.
In spite of my conservative, somewhat Republican leanings, I thoroughly enjoyed this work of (science?!?!)fiction.
The surprisingly believable premise is that Eleanor Roosevelt is drafted to run for President in 1952 when Adlai Stevenson drops dead on the convention floor. It is well researched and well written and a joy for anyone who enjoys the politics of the post-war era and/or the Roosevelts and their lives.
In the back of the book, are Gerber's notes regarding the sources of some of the happenings in the book--she takes them directly from history when she can.
February 6, 2009
How would our world have been different if Eleanor Roosevelt had run against Ike in 1952? Would the KKK have grown its power in the 60's & 70s? Would Selma still have happened? Where would LGBT rights be today - would that have been a protected class from the beginning? Would the ERA have passed? Would we have ever elected JFK, much less allowed LBJ and Nixon to mire us further in Viet Nam? Fabulous book -- I couldn't put it down as my mind spun from the possibilities! Great narrative with great insight into the fears of the time without being bogged down into too much history.
April 19, 2011
This is a fictional reconstruction of the presidential election of 1952, with Eleanor Roosevelt running against General Eisenhower. Necessary changes are made to the facts to set this up, but then the action and Gerber's knowledge of Mrs. Roosevelt and the political scene take over. The book is totally credible once you accept Eleanor as the candidate. it's suspenseful and interesting right up to the ending. I recommend it highly to any political junkie like me, or anyone who thinks Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the 20th century's most outstanding women.
November 16, 2013
This book was our November book club selection. The overall feel from the group was that it made an interesting what if scenario, but it seemed to get bogged down by to much detail but not enough depth in the believability of the idea of Eleanor Roosevelt running against Eisenhower. There were some good discussions on politics of the time and present day. We did agree that Roosevelt and Clinton are both women you either love or you hate not much middle ground. It was also interesting to see what parts had some basis to history and what parts were fictionalized.
November 6, 2008
ok this was an entertaining concept and I love anything about Eleanor Roosevelt. I vaguely remember when Ike was president and I certainly remember the way women were viewed. It (the story) could never have happened. Women lost their jobs just because a man could do it when the war ended.Homemaking was the be all and end all of life for most women. Trust me it could never happen but how sweet if it did.
October 3, 2009
This was a really good read - it started out a bit slow (the first few chapters), but then it picked up quickly and captured my attention. The author did a really good job of bringing real events to life and creating a plausible situation in which Eleanor would have run for president. I loved the back stories she shared - sordid affairs, seemingly happy marriages (that were mostly facades), and political conversations -- very great minor character development, as well.
May 9, 2011
This book had a good premise: what would have happened if Eleanor Roosevelt had thrown her hat into the political ring in 1952 and run fro president against Dwight D. Eisenhower? Of course, we all know that this never happened, but the idea was fascinating. Unfortunately for me, the whole thing never really gelled. There were also a few times when the author seemed to be writing with 21st century wordage. All together, not what I hoped for.
January 5, 2016
The characters on Eleanor's team were a little too perfect and those on Ike's team too boorish. Some mistakes or foibles on Eleanor's part would have made the story more interesting.
That said, I started enjoying it more by the end and found myself staying up a bit late to see how it wrapped up.
That said, I started enjoying it more by the end and found myself staying up a bit late to see how it wrapped up.
October 3, 2010
A 'what if' story - what if Eleanor Roosevelt ran against General Eisehhower for President of the United States in 1952? Based on historical facts (and some fictionalization!), this book covers the last several months of the presidential campaign of 1952. Eleanor Roosevelt is the first woman ever to run for national elective office - can she really win?
March 10, 2008
A great idea & a timely topic- made for a great novel! I love how the book was written- using a lot of political events/speeches/clippings that actually happened and adding one huge fictional aspect- Eleanor Roosevelt running for President. What a great what if? historical fiction story!
January 25, 2011
It was good. It's a "what might have been" kind of story. Really enjoyed the politics and the historical facts (of course mixed with fictionalization). Eleanor is one of my faves. I think it lacked a little in the "emotional" aspect though; didn't really keep me hooked completely..
November 28, 2011
You can learn quite a bit about Eleanor for this fiction book. I especially liked the end with the notes from the author. Didn't know that there were so many love affairs involved. Wouldn't it have been something if we actually had a women president back in the 50's.
November 5, 2012
Enjoyed Eleanor Vs. Ike: a Novel, especially reading it just days before the 2012 presidential election. Apparently it was Robin Gerber's first novel written during the 2008 primary between H. Clinton and B. Obama. Glad the book fell off the library shelf for me. Timely and entertaining read.
April 6, 2013
I absolutely loved the premise of this book. And though I must admit it was not as good as I hoped, it was still an entertaining read. Ms. Gerber gets a big high-five for the idea and the willingness to ponder what might have been...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews