It's Up to the Women by Eleanor Roosevelt

It's Up to the Women by Eleanor Roosevelt

"Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted her husband to run for president. When he won, she . . . went on a national tour to crusade on behalf of women. She wrote a regular newspaper column. She became a champion of women's rights and of civil rights. And she decided to write a book."--Jill Lepore, from the Introduction

"Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world," Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in It's Up to the Women, her book of advice to women of all ages on every aspect of life. Written at the height of the Great Depression, she called on women particularly to do their part--cutting costs where needed, spending reasonably, and taking personal responsibility for keeping the economy going.

Whether it's the recommendation that working women take time for themselves in order to fully enjoy time spent with their families, recipes for cheap but wholesome home-cooked meals, or America's obligation to women as they take a leading role in the new social order, many of the opinions expressed here are as fresh as if they were written today.

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife. Roosevelt was dissatisfied with the customary function of the first lady and vowed to demonstrate the role of the first lady in American politics to the rest of the world by actively advocating human, civil, and women's rights. Roosevelt went on to serve as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and as a representative to the Commission on Human Rights under Harry S. Truman after her husband died in 1945. Under John F. Kennedy, she was the chairwoman of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.

Roosevelt is the author of several books about her life and experiences, including This Is My Story, On My Own, and The Moral Basis of Democracy, in addition to her political activities. On November 7, 1962, she passed away.