Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life by Candace FlemingSummary - Our Eleanor is a comprehensive biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady, told in a style somewhere between a scrapbook and a newspaper. Following this incomparable woman from her childhood, riddled with death and disillusion, through the years she served as the First Lady of the United States to her waning years of service and, finally, her death, this book offers detailed information on her family, life, and impact in an easy to read (if not always follow) manner. Older children especially will enjoy how the author humanizes Eleanor while still offering a staggering amount of information on the subject (quite useful to someone studying on writing on her).
Impressions - This book is almost overwhelming in the amount of information it gives on Eleanor Roosevelt. Covering every facet of her life from childhood to marriage to public works, the text offers readers insight into Eleanor's feelings, experiences, and beliefs - and allows them to follow how each impacted the other, in turn affecting the world as Eleanor was such a prominent figure throughout her husband's terms as President. The style of the book may overwhelm some readers as it vacillates between text (usually one page of explanatory text on the events of the era being discussed) and article-type discussions covering one piece/aspect of Eleanor's life, her family and friends, her works, etc. Trying to follow this book linearly may cause confusion or disinterest, it is designed more for a browsing or overview interest review and/or for someone who uses the index to find information on a particular issue/event within the overall text. There are tons of pictures, breaking up the text further, and the overall impression is one of an in-depth and interesting portrait of a full life - vice one timeframe or issue - therefore, it acts as a great resource work for anyone interested in Eleanor Roosevelt.
Reviews - In a starred review(1), Publishers Weekly called Our Eleanor a "standout biography" with an "attractive design". Discussing how the book offers a comprehensive look at all of the aspects of Eleanor's life, it marvels at the even-handedness of the book that allows "readers to draw their own conclusions", although the age range (10-14) they advise for the book is a little young and should really be more in the 14-18 range, as the density of the text may overwhelm some younger readers.
Use - Our Eleanor would be perhaps most useful to children who need to gather a large amount of information in an easily accessible manner for a general understanding of Eleanor Roosevelt's life. Older children will find it most easy to use, although some sophisticated middle school aged children would also find it helpful and enjoyable. As an introduction to biography asa genre, this is a great opening piece which both instructs and entertains, and may lead some kids to want to explore more non-fiction and biography books.
(1) Unk. Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable life. (2005, September 19). Publishers Weekly.
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