Hissing Cousins

February 16, 2015
Journalist Peyser and educator Dwyer serve up a dual biography of the two most well-known women of the extended Roosevelt clan with a glaze of snark. Alice, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, is portrayed as sarcastic and spoiled; Eleanor, wife of Franklin Roosevelt, as unattractive and awkward. The women were close as children but grew apart as adults, due to their very different personalities and very different politics. The authors assert that the disagreements between Alice and Eleanor reflect the great American debates of the 20th Century: internationalism vs. isolationism, war vs. peace, large federal government vs. small. Alice married Ohio Republican congressman Nicholas Longworth in 1906 as much for his wealth as his political reputation, believing she could help him to the White House. Eleanor’s political life didn’t begin until after her 1905 marriage to Franklin; as a dutiful wife she figured out effective ways to support and promote his career. The authors ably present these events, but are on shakier ground with the gender issues that informed these great American debates and shaped these women’s lives. Readers interested in a more historically substantive portrayal of the two women should look to the work of Blanche Wiesen Cook and Stacy Cordery.

January 15, 2015
A journalist and the CEO of an education advisory company unite to tell the story of the famous first cousins who occupied very different positions on the continuum of political belief.Former Newsweek and Budget Travel deputy editor Peyser and School Choice International CEO Dwyer have quite a story to tell, one that drips with the intrigue of political power and the venom of personal jealousy, copious tears, regret, loss and betrayal. The more famous of the Roosevelt cousins (now and then) is, if course, Eleanor (1884-1962), who married FDR, tolerated his various romantic liaisons, helped with the treatment of his polio and outlived him to become a liberal icon. Alice (1884-1980), a daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was friendly and affectionate with Eleanor early on, but they both flirted with Franklin, and the more attractive Alice did not take the loss lightly. Though she married Nick Longworth, Alice remained as sexually frisky, and otherwise mischievous, as a libidinous teen, engaging in multiple affairs over the years. Alice also was "ever the guttersnipe," write the authors, who seem sometimes uncertain of their ultimate opinion of her: Was she a jerk? An opportunist? A happy hedonist? When FDR began his rise, Alice was not aboard. She planted herself firmly on the other side, as a moderately popular newspaper columnist and a highly quotable critic. (Readers might imagine an Ann Coulter with more self-restraint.) The authors' admiration for Eleanor is patent, and they fully chronicle her human rights advocacy, her tireless travel to experience the lives of others, her prodding of FDR to do something about civil rights and her own popularity (far beyond Alice's) as a newspaper columnist. The authors, understandably, have occasional trouble shoving aside the looming men to let us see the women. An entertaining retelling of a forgotten story, written for political junkies who enjoy the naughty and the nice.

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February 1, 2015

Journalist Peyser collaborates with author Dwyer (Stable but Fragile) on this wide-ranging account of the intertwined lives of first cousins Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), who became First Lady when she married Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945); and Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980), daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919). These two extraordinary women, who grew up as playmates and friends, matured into two of the most politically influential women of the 20th century. Both Eleanor and Alice broke through the constraints of the male-dominated political landscape of their era with outspokenness and activism previously not afforded to women. With frequently polar-opposite perspectives on such issues as social justice and geopolitics, they often sparred in the media. Furthermore, Alice found Eleanor's "do-gooder" agenda tiresome and Eleanor deemed Alice, who was considered one of Washington, DC's uppermost socialites, as shallow. Although at times estranged, throughout their lives both conceded to a "tribal" bond instilled by the Roosevelt name that would forever connect them. Many consider the Roosevelts the first true American political dynasty and as a result, scores of biographies and documentaries, including Ken Burns's recent critically acclaimed The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, have been generated. VERDICT With focus on the fascinating relationship of these two cousins, this skillfully researched work has much in store for political history buffs. [See Prepub Alert, 9/14/14.]--Mary Jennings, Camano Island Lib., WA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2015
It's hard not to like Alice Roosevelt Longworth, though Peyser and Dwyer give many reasons why we shouldn't; for one, at 85, Alice did her impersonation of Eleanor Roosevelt's speech (and jutting jaw) for 60 Minutes. She also slapped on a checkerboard mask at 82 and attended Truman Capote's infamous black-and-white ball. In short, she saidand didwhat she wanted, consequences be damned. But marvelous Eleanor, the authors note, will be the one remembered. The two women were cousins, but, as the book's title aptly points out, they weren't altogether close. Alice was a Republican and Teddy's cherished daughter, the much-watched and -quoted princess of the White House. Eleanor was a Democrat and later helped her husband get into the White House himself. Alice was funny, caustic, and somewhat of a pill. Eleanor devoted her life to good works and true causes (women's rights, segregation, and so much more). The lives these women lived weren't easy (tossed by death and illness), the times were turbulent (from wars to Teapot Dome to Tricky Dick), and the two cousins were almost, the authors note, reverse role models for each other, examples of how not to live. Peyser and Dwyer's detailed and witty double biography is hard to put down, a fascinating look at an era and two exceptionally strong, intelligent women.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)