Eleanor Roosevelt is known for saying, “"You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” This excellent biography, a Newbery Honor book, illustrates how she put this adage into action in her own life, which was filled with courage and public service. Freedman looks at the span of Roosevelt’s life, covering personal aspects but emphasizing on her many accomplishments. He gives an even-handed view of her sometimes troubled marriage, a marriage that led to her international influence as she traveled around the world during and after World War II working for peace and social justice. Excellent black-and-white photographs enhance the text, with an additional fifteen pages of photos at the end. Back matter includes a list of sites to visit, a bibliographic essay, and an index. A pleasure to read.
Reading Std #6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Freedman seems to present his information with a neutral tone. Have students look closely to see if they can detect a point of view that the author is advancing, citing specific passages in the text.
