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Quote by Blanche Wiesen Cook

“Well, the reality of her father was that he was a very diseased alcoholic, who died at the age of 34. And one always has to pause to wonder how much you have to drink to die at 34. And he was a really tragic father. I mean, he was absolutely unreliable. He was absolutely involved with various people. He had outside families, outside children, outside wives. He made his wife's life miserable. And she [Eleanor Roosevelt]ignored all of his faults and retained this sense of him as the perfect father.”

Quote by Blanche Wiesen Cook

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Blanche Wiesen Cook

Blanche Wiesen Cook is an American scholar specializing in the study of American history and feminism. Born on April 20, 1941, she is renowned for her in-depth research on the role of women in American history. more

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“It's interesting to me that really one of the first things she [Eleanor Roosevelt]did as First Lady was to collect her father's letters and publish a book called The Letters of My Father, essentially, hunting big game, The Letters of Elliott Roosevelt. And it really was an act of redemption, really one of her first acts of redemption as she entered the White House. She was going to redeem her father's honor. And publishing his letters, reconnecting with her childhood really fortified her to go on into the difficult White House years.”

Years Firsts Book Bigs Father Games House Difficult White Interesting Childhood Goes On Honor Letters Redemption White House Hunting Publishing Publish First Lady Eleanor Reconnecting

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“Well, when Eleanor Roosevelt's mother dies, she goes to live with her Grandmother Hall. And her Grandmother Hall is in mourning. She's in widow's weeds. She's in her 50s, but appears very old. And she's exhausted from raising rather out-of-control children. Her favorite daughter, Anna, has died (Eleanor's mother), and she has living at home two other sons, Vallie and Eddie. And they are incredible sportsmen, incredible drinkers, out-of-control alcoholics.”

Wells Children Two Home Mother Dies Son Daughter Died Incredibles Mourning Grandmother Halls Weed Exhausted Alcoholics Widows Anna Drinkers Eleanor Sportsman

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“And Grandmother Hall really imagines that she can raise Eleanor and her two brothers differently than these children were raised. And if she is very strict and everything is very regimented and ordered and disciplined, that they will become the perfect children who her own children did not become.”

Ifs Children Two Perfect Imagine Brother Raises Raised Grandmother Halls Imagine That Strict Eleanor Two Brothers Perfect Child

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“In one way, it is this sense of order and also love that, I think, really saved Eleanor Roosevelt's life. And in her own writing, she's very warm about her grandmother, even though, if you look at contemporary accounts, they're accounts of horror at the Dickensian scene that Tivoli represents: bleak and drear and dark and unhappy. But Eleanor Roosevelt in her own writings is not very unhappy about Tivoli.”

Ifs Thinking Way Writing Looks Order Dark Horror Scene Accounts Warm Saved Unhappy Contemporary One Way Grandmother Bleak Eleanor

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“I think her Grandmother Hall gave her a great sense of family love, and reassurance. Her grandmother did love her, like her father, unconditionally. And despite the order and the discipline - and home at certain hours and out at certain hours and reading at certain hours - there was a surprising amount of freedom. Eleanor Roosevelt talks about how the happiest moments of her days were when she would take a book out of the library, which wasn't censored.”

Thinking Book Moments Home Certain Order Reading Father Hours Amount Discipline Library Despite Grandmother Halls Surprising Family Love Like Her Reassurance Eleanor Censored

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“And her [Eleanor Roosevelt] Grandmother Hall provided her really with a quite wonderful education, and a freedom that, within the framework of Tivoli (which is a framework of discipline and order) is also a very encouraging and loving one.”

Order Wonderful Discipline Grandmother Halls Framework Eleanor

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“I think Eleanor Roosevelt's so popular at Allenswood because it's the first time she is, number one, free. But it's the first time somebody really recognizes her own leadership abilities and her own scholarly abilities.”

Thinking Firsts Ability Numbers First Time Eleanor Scholarly

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“Eleanor Roosevelt loved to write. She was a wonderful child writer. I mean, she wrote beautiful essays and stories as a child. And Marie Souvestre really appreciated Eleanor Roosevelt's talents and encouraged her talents. Also, she spoke perfect French. She grew up speaking French. She's now at a french-speaking school where, you know, girls are coming from all over the world. Not everybody speaks French.”

“Eleanor Roosevelt's very helpful to a lot of children who cannot speak French, who do not write well. And Marie Souvestre is fierce. She tears up students' papers that are not, you know, perfect. And Eleanor Roosevelt goes around, again, being incredibly helpful to children in need, children in trouble. And her best friends are the naughtiest girls who are in trouble. And she is a leader. And she is encouraged to be a leader. And everybody falls in love with her. She's a star.”

Knows Needs Writing Wells Children Fall Girl Speak Stars Perfect Leader Trouble Students Tears Paper Falling In Love Helpful Fierce Papers Eleanor Marie Speaks French

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook

“And she [Eleanor Roosevelt]loves being a star. And she loves being a teacher and a leader and a mentor and a big friend. Also, she's tall. She's one of the tallest girls in the school. And she's an athlete. And she writes many years later, at the end of her life, she writes that the happiest day, the happiest single day of her life was the day that she made the first team at field hockey. And I have to say, as a biographer, that's the most important fact. I”

Writing Years Firsts Made Important Ends Facts Bigs School Girl Stars Love Is Leader Teacher Team Fields Athlete Tall Hockey Mentor Eleanor Being A Teacher Biographers Field Hockey

Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook