This is the story of a shy, awkward, lonely little girl who, because of her courage and selflessness, today is a person known and loved the world over. "Little Nell," as her father, whom she adored, called her, was a quiet child. After her mother's death, she was sent to live with her grandmother, who was very strict and old-fashioned. The only times Eleanor was really happy were when her father came to see her.
Then her father died. After that, life was bleak indeed for Eleanor. It was not until she and her fifth cousin, young Franklin Roosevelt, became good friends that Eleanor's true destiny began to take shape. After they were married, she not only took care of her growing family but also acted as hostess for her husband's many political friends. Then tragedy struck, when Franklin was laid low by polio. But Eleanor kept his promising career alive by forcing herself to make speeches and perform other political duties foreign to her shy nature. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States, it was almost as much a triumph for Mrs. Roosevelt as it was for the President himself.
During the exciting years that followed, her warm-hearted, humanitarian work in World War II and later for the United Nations earned her a permanent place of her own in the hearts of Americans. In this moving biography, the author has made it possible for young readers to know Eleanor Roosevelt as she really is.
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