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Eleanor Roosevelt’s Nightly Prayer: The Religious Life of the First Lady of the World
A deep exploration of how Eleanor Roosevelt’s Christian faith led her to become one of the most well-known and praised humanitarians.
A great woman who was heavily involved in politics, Eleanor Roosevelt is considered one of the most important and beloved First Ladies and female leaders. Her faith and beliefs are commonly dismissed as confines of her upbringing that she broke free from; however, her dedication to the Episcopal Church and her reliance on Jesus’s teachings imply otherwise. Her nightly prayer, famously recorded in her writing, demonstrates her approach to serving her community and nation, and her inspiration and strength in the politics she was involved in become apparent when understanding the context of her religion and considering the fulfillment of her beliefs through her actions. In reviewing observations from family members, her own writing, and her participation in the church, Mitchell examines the impact of Eleanor’s faith on her work, and by extension, its impact on the world.
A great woman who was heavily involved in politics, Eleanor Roosevelt is considered one of the most important and beloved First Ladies and female leaders. Her faith and beliefs are commonly dismissed as confines of her upbringing that she broke free from; however, her dedication to the Episcopal Church and her reliance on Jesus’s teachings imply otherwise. Her nightly prayer, famously recorded in her writing, demonstrates her approach to serving her community and nation, and her inspiration and strength in the politics she was involved in become apparent when understanding the context of her religion and considering the fulfillment of her beliefs through her actions. In reviewing observations from family members, her own writing, and her participation in the church, Mitchell examines the impact of Eleanor’s faith on her work, and by extension, its impact on the world.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 8, 2025
3.5 stars.
The author's defense of ER's Grandmother Mary Hall in chapters 1 and 2 is appalling. Consider her analogy:
"Is it narrowness when a father encourages the family to gather around the television every Sunday to cheer a favorite team on to victory? If they followed suit every week, would we conclude that the family was narrowly focused on competitive sports? If we knew that some of the family members would rather be doing something else at that time, could we on that fact alone conclude that the father was a harsh disciplinarian?"
Not necessarily, but if pa insisted that they watch football every night, stand for the national anthem, sing the team song, cheer for the home team, and memorize all the team members' names, numbers, and life stories, his sanity would be in grave doubt.
Grandmother Hall didn't just "encourage the family to gather around" once a week. She *required* active participation in her grim home services *every night*. As the author says, she wasn't a "Fundamentalist," but only because the word hadn't been invented. It wasn't just biblical literalism; there was also the heavy low church Evangelical emphasis of penal substitutionary atonement. The terminological quibble is a red herring. ER's own theology seems to have been picked up from her rectors' liberal sermons and developed in reaction *against* her grandmother's theology.
True, "the task of memorization can become a game, a challenge that the youngster may actually enjoy." But did it? No one in the family seems to have remembered it that way. The best the author can do is quote ER as saying (about 70 years later!) that self-discipline is good—true, but a rubbish defense of the way her grandmother inflicted it. It would have been more informative to examine whether ER took her grandmother's approach as a model for faith formation for her own 5 children. From what I can gather, she did not.
I'd also point out that locking Eleanor in her room with *3 locks* on the door, ostensibly to "protect her from boys," really was "narrow." More important, it turned her room into a death trap in case of fire, especially since house fires in those days (late 19th century) were more devastating because houses were more flammable; fire extinguishers and smoke detectors hadn't been invented; and fire, electrical, and building codes were almost a century away.
Chapter 4 rewrites the first 3 centuries of Anglican theology beyond recognition to match broad church liberal theology from the late 19th century onward.
And I was astounded when the last chapter implied that of course ER was theologically shallow and incoherent because she was an Episcopalian and that's the way of her people. The author's own book summarizing talks by Frances Perkins, who was also a devout Episcopalian, belies that nonsense.
Once you get past the contorted apologetics, though, most of the book is a fine overview of the role of religion in ER's life and writings is informative, well-documented, and insightful. The prayer printed on the front cover provides an illuminating framework. I recommend the book on that basis.
The author's defense of ER's Grandmother Mary Hall in chapters 1 and 2 is appalling. Consider her analogy:
"Is it narrowness when a father encourages the family to gather around the television every Sunday to cheer a favorite team on to victory? If they followed suit every week, would we conclude that the family was narrowly focused on competitive sports? If we knew that some of the family members would rather be doing something else at that time, could we on that fact alone conclude that the father was a harsh disciplinarian?"
Not necessarily, but if pa insisted that they watch football every night, stand for the national anthem, sing the team song, cheer for the home team, and memorize all the team members' names, numbers, and life stories, his sanity would be in grave doubt.
Grandmother Hall didn't just "encourage the family to gather around" once a week. She *required* active participation in her grim home services *every night*. As the author says, she wasn't a "Fundamentalist," but only because the word hadn't been invented. It wasn't just biblical literalism; there was also the heavy low church Evangelical emphasis of penal substitutionary atonement. The terminological quibble is a red herring. ER's own theology seems to have been picked up from her rectors' liberal sermons and developed in reaction *against* her grandmother's theology.
True, "the task of memorization can become a game, a challenge that the youngster may actually enjoy." But did it? No one in the family seems to have remembered it that way. The best the author can do is quote ER as saying (about 70 years later!) that self-discipline is good—true, but a rubbish defense of the way her grandmother inflicted it. It would have been more informative to examine whether ER took her grandmother's approach as a model for faith formation for her own 5 children. From what I can gather, she did not.
I'd also point out that locking Eleanor in her room with *3 locks* on the door, ostensibly to "protect her from boys," really was "narrow." More important, it turned her room into a death trap in case of fire, especially since house fires in those days (late 19th century) were more devastating because houses were more flammable; fire extinguishers and smoke detectors hadn't been invented; and fire, electrical, and building codes were almost a century away.
Chapter 4 rewrites the first 3 centuries of Anglican theology beyond recognition to match broad church liberal theology from the late 19th century onward.
And I was astounded when the last chapter implied that of course ER was theologically shallow and incoherent because she was an Episcopalian and that's the way of her people. The author's own book summarizing talks by Frances Perkins, who was also a devout Episcopalian, belies that nonsense.
Once you get past the contorted apologetics, though, most of the book is a fine overview of the role of religion in ER's life and writings is informative, well-documented, and insightful. The prayer printed on the front cover provides an illuminating framework. I recommend the book on that basis.
October 20, 2025
For those looking for an in-depth exploration into how Eleanor Roosevelt's faith influenced her personal life, work, and political life, Eleanor Roosevelt's Nightly Prayer by Donn Mitchell would be a good choice.
Mitchell opens with an introduction explaining how political historians tend to "marginalize religion," and some reasons why. He discusses Roosevelt's writing, speeches, and volunteer activities. Then the narrative moves swiftly along to Roosevelt's nightly routine, as outlined by her son, Elliot, which included daily writing and prayer.
As the reader follows along, they are immersed in the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, her family, the times in which she lived, and in how she worked to create a "new world order based on respect for human dignity." This would lead her to be appointed as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations after her husband's death.
I found Eleanor Roosevelt's Nightly Prayer to be thoroughly researched. This biography of one of America's most admired First Ladies supports that her commitment to her Episcopalian religion continued to influence her life and work in many ways. It was a solid but dense read. I feel a hardcover copy that I could mark up and refer back to would have been easier to digest.
Mitchell opens with an introduction explaining how political historians tend to "marginalize religion," and some reasons why. He discusses Roosevelt's writing, speeches, and volunteer activities. Then the narrative moves swiftly along to Roosevelt's nightly routine, as outlined by her son, Elliot, which included daily writing and prayer.
As the reader follows along, they are immersed in the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, her family, the times in which she lived, and in how she worked to create a "new world order based on respect for human dignity." This would lead her to be appointed as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations after her husband's death.
I found Eleanor Roosevelt's Nightly Prayer to be thoroughly researched. This biography of one of America's most admired First Ladies supports that her commitment to her Episcopalian religion continued to influence her life and work in many ways. It was a solid but dense read. I feel a hardcover copy that I could mark up and refer back to would have been easier to digest.
December 21, 2025
I did not know about the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s Episcopalian faith. According the author of this book, Eleanor’s deepest convictions were due to the teachings of Jesus. I discovered many interesting facts about Eleanor’s life such as growing up near Hell’s Kitchen, was taught to be kind and generous to the poor without judgment and her commitment to racial justice. I must admit that I was aware of Eleanor but not what she really did. It was intriguing and informative. I was quite happy about her nightly prayer being in the book. The reader must make their own decisions about her religious aspect of Eleanor’s life. I do think that she was influenced to do the work she did with the public due to her teachings and experiences of being an active member of her church. My only problem with this book is now I want to know more about this remarkable woman.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions are strictly my own.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions are strictly my own.
December 28, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for an early read of this book. A deep dive into Elenor’s faith throughout her childhood and up until her death. It really shows how it affected and influenced her work as First Lady and throughout her life. It was interesting to read about how she brought her faith into everything she did and influenced so many others to do the same. Even while in the world of politics she didn’t have the separation.
September 9, 2025
I enjoyed reading about the religious side of Eleanor Roosevelt and how it shaped her work in politics.
Thank you NetGalley and Morehouse Publishing for the ARC
Thank you NetGalley and Morehouse Publishing for the ARC
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews