This I Remember

by Eleanor Roosevelt

Book by Roosevelt, Eleanor

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Classics, Politics, 20th Century

387 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political leader who used her influence as an active First Lady from 1933 to 1945 to promote the New Deal policies of her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as taking a prominent role as an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, she continued to be an internationally prominent author and speaker for the New Deal coalition. She was a suffragist who worked to enhance the status of working women, although she opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women. In the 1940s, she was one of the co-founders of Freedom House and supported the formation of the United Nations. Eleanor Roosevelt founded the UN Association of the United States in 1943 to advance support for the formation of the UN. She was a delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1945 and 1952, a job for which she was appointed by President Harry S. Truman and confirmed by the United States Congress. During her time at the United Nations chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. President Truman called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
She was one of the most admired persons of the 20th century, according to Gallup's List of Widely Admired People.

Reviews

[Susan Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

ER's second memoir, covering the years between FDR's courtship and his death and her reentry into public life afterward. More guarded than the first memoir, but still unusually candid in her reflections and her assessments of people and events. A primary source for many other biographies.

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I think I would like to give a book a half star; in this case 3 1/2, but I have opted with four. I did enjoy the book and found it interesting. There were parts that I struggled a bit to keep up with who everyone was. This book mainly covers the presidential years, and is a sequel to "This is My Story," which I should probably have read first.

There were a number of anecdotal stories that she related that were fun to read and to also see her perspective on things. She also gave insights into Franklin's personality, and her role as a president's wife. (e.g. “He (Franklin) had so many outside interests that he was always busy, and boredom was something he never experienced in his whole life.” A shame we aren't seeing more people today with that characteristic!)

In a number of things, I believe she was ahead of her times. I also enjoyed reading about FDR and Winston Churchill's relationship, as well as the visits from and to the royals of Great Britain. And having her sons serving in the war made her just like every other mother at that time in history. If you like history, and particular WWII history, I think you will enjoy this book.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. This part of US History has always particularly interested me, thanks to Miss Kohler, my exceptional high school history teacher. Especially interesting after recently seeing "The King's Speech", was the account Eleanor Roosevelt writes of the King and Queen visiting Washington, and her visit with them during WWII. Also evident is Mrs. Roosevelt's sense of humor when she writes this of some official dinner..."after dinner, which was not a hilarious meal, and during which I made valiant attempts at conversation..." Amazing that I picked this book up for free on a library giveaway shelf. Shelved above were old VHS tapes priced at $1 each. Next up Doris Kearns Goodwin's book about the Roosevelts.

[Amy Brees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing woman who worked so hard as First Lady during difficult years of the depression and WWII. Sometimes hard to read because she talked about people she just assumed a reader would know and I had no idea who they were. Amazing to how in less than a century our style of speech has changed so much.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Eleanor Roosevelt! Summers in Maine, visiting her 'cottage' on Campobello, always bring me close to her and her works. This was a fun read and made me feel close to her as a person, a mother, and a wife. What an incredible role model!

[Mark Desrosiers]

A present from Jenna...

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent, inspiring

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a woman who did not waste one moment of her life. She was so curious about everything and everyone, and so honest. The last few pages were heart-breaking. Very inspiring.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg such a beautiful biography. Loved it

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. It gives a detailed look into what life is like living in the White House before and during war.

[teddy bear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was good, but I really just couldn't get through it. I love the history in but I found it quite boring, and wasn't able to finish it.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1948, this is ER's autobiography of her life up to that point. Not particularly well-written, it often reads like a 340 page magazine article. However some interesting points:

1) ER states FDR never stopped believing in the Morgenthau plan, and backed away publically in the fall of 1944 for political reasons.
2) FDR thought Stalin was a "good hearted man" and that we could get along with him, if we treated him fairly and understood his point of view.
3) Per ER: FDR did not have any strokes in 1944. Yes, he was unwell at times due to the stress he was under and had to work a reduced schedule. But no serious illness. He was "invigorated" by the campaigning in October 1944, and his death in April 45 was a complete shock.
4) Mr. Baruch is thanked for giving FDR a month's holiday at his estate in April 1944. FDR needed to rest up from all the years of strain and effort.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning with FDR's road to Governor of NYS and ending with his death in 1945, before the 4th term of his presidency ended, this fascinating and impressive story of the important role Eleanor played in this segment of their lives together is gripping. The writing is personal, conversational , easy to read and reveals an unusually strong woman's influence in our history. In short, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of a kind, truly a role model for women of any age.

[Joseph J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some seven decades later, we know better-and more. Certain aspects of Eleanor's personal pain and the intricacies of the Roosevelt marriage would be dealt with years later by Joseph Lash, Jonathan Daniels, Blanche W. Cooke and Doris Kerns Goodwin. Still this is a riveting first person telling of the life of probably our most remarkable first lady and one of American history's most riveting and ground breaking personalities. (Penned before the tell all memoir!)

[Pete Iseppi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have all the respect in the world for Eleanor Roosevelt. In my opinion she was one of few best first ladies. So I'm sorry to say that this book was pretty boring. It was more like a social register than a memoir. Full of names, some famous but now lost to history. Many other names that most people have never heard of.
Too bad. I was looking forward to this one.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an extraordinary book. A great book.
This is a non-fiction book, written by Eleanor Roosevelt about her life and the things she observed from the time her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ran for governor of New York, through his presidency, including the Depression years and World War II. The book ends with Franklin's death.

[Jeannine Scopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read two third party books (The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Franklin and Eleanor by Hazel Rowley), each of which has narrower focuses, I found it interesting to read this broader take in Eleanor's own words and voice

I would rate it a 3.5, and thought it more accurately rounded up to 4 than down to 3.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little rambling, and she mentions several incidents and people, whom I'm sure I would be interested in if I had lived in her time, but not having done so, I got a little lost at times with the who's and what's, but I loved hearing from her about the lessons she learned in life.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Regina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish it. It was too dry and mostly about her husband and his political stuff.

[Debby Nowicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised that there was no mention of altering the resolute desk to cover FDR’s wheelchair nor was there any mention after Pearl Harbor of Japan or of the atomic bombs being developed.

[Sharon]

:

[Caitlin Mcnamee]

I only read this for an assignment, which is why it is not worth a rating.