Fleming,
Candace. 2005. OUR ELEANOR: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S
REMARKABLE LIFE. New York , NY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
OUR ELEANOR: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S REMARKABLE LIFE is a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life. The book begins with her birth to Ana and
Elliott Roosevelt in 1884 and ends with her funeral on November10, 1962. The book covers all of the areas of Eleanor’s
life from personal to political.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
As the title suggests,
the book’s layout is like a scrapbook.
There are copies of newspaper articles, letters, and photos throughout
the book. The chapters are not written
in the normal fashion but most pages are divided into sections with each
section having a heading and information on an aspect of Eleanor’s life. All the “articles” relate to the title of
the chapter. Fleming did not idolize
Eleanor but instead painted a realistic picture of the former first lady. For example, she included that her daughter
Ana said that her mother, Eleanor, was “very unpredictable and
inconsistent…inconsistent in her feelings—sweet and lovely one hour and the next
very critical, very demanding, and very difficult to be with.”
The book includes a
time line and an abridged Roosevelt family tree at
the beginning of the book. The book has
an index and source notes at the end of the book. There many copies of newpaper articles,
letters and photos. The photos vary in
size and shape which makes the book more visually appealing. From reading this book, readers will gain a
well-rounded perspective on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt.
4.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
A Junior Library
Guild Selection
BOOK LINKS: “…this intimate, unvarnished, and ultimately
deeply moving portrait takes a pastiche approach to humanizing a legendary
life.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY
JOURNAL: “An intimate biography of an
unhappy child who grew up to become an American icon.”
HORN BOOK
MAGAZINE: “This richly rendered account
of the life and accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt is both unabashed tribute
and absorbing history.”
5.
CONNECTIONS
*The book can be
used to support a lesson about Eleanor Roosevelt.
*Other nonfiction books by
Candace Fleming:
Fleming,
Candace. THE LINCOLNS
Fleming,
Candace. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA
EARHART. ISBN 9780375841989
Fleming,
Candace. BEN FRANKLIN’S ALMANAC: BEING A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE GOOD GENTLEMAN’S
LIFE. ISBN 0689835493
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