And his review of the First Lady’s fact-finding trip to the South Pacific during World War II is both fascinating and revealing. Lash also does an excellent job describing the multifaceted (and often tense) relationship between Eleanor and FDR’s mother, Sara. It also demonstrates the accommodations Franklin and Eleanor made for each other in order to sustain their unique partnership during his political career. Most importantly, it peels back the public-facing layers of Eleanor’s complex life and highlights her selfless advocacy of people and causes that merited the attention of someone with her influence and devotion. The book’s strengths are numerous and notable. But it’s deepest flaw is its cursory treatment of FDR who is less a partner in the relationship under scrutiny and more the foil.

In addition, Lash furnishes almost no historical context so readers not already familiar with world (and domestic) events will likely miss the significance of many events or moments.

The book’s matter-of-fact style leaves it far less engrossing than the subject matter deserves and some readers will find it difficult to persevere to the end. While the author is a capable writer, his prize-winning tome is more a detailed history than an engaging narrative or character analysis. Equally unsurprising is that the book proves quite discreet despite his proximity to the Eleanor and Franklin, Lash is reluctant to publicly ponder their private lives or most personal foibles. Lash is not bashful about revealing Franklin’s and Eleanor’s numerous faults, but given his friendship with the former First Lady it is not surprising this is generally a sympathetic treatment of Eleanor. The last 17 years of her life are chronicled in Lash’s follow-up volume “ Eleanor: The Years Alone“. Despite its length (723 pages) this book only covers Eleanor’s life up to FDR’s death. To some extent it is a book focused on the relationship between Eleanor and Franklin.īut what “Eleanor and Franklin” really proves to be is an insightful, detailed and often dense review of the life of a remarkable woman who transformed herself from an insecure, orphaned young girl into the compelling champion of a wide array of humanitarian causes. Even then, Franklin’s appearances seem more often designed to highlight Eleanor’s virtues than roundly describe his life or political career. FDR fails to appear until more than 100 pages have elapsed. The book’s title notwithstanding, this is not a dual biography of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. His 23-year friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt (and proprietary access to her personal papers in 1966) formed the basis for this authorized biography. Lash was a radical political activist but grew disillusioned with communism and later became a journalist and author. Lash was published in 1971 and earned the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

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