Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok

If only we all could find one good friend as they found each other. I enjoyed the book very much. Well, written and organized to chronicle Mrs. Roosevelt's life behind the scenes

Those who denies the strong sexual overtones in these letters must be repressed or absurdly committed to the idea that Eleanor Roosevelt had to have been unequivocally heterosexual. Never mind that by the time she met Hickock, her physical relationship with FDR had been dead for over a decade, not to be revived. Had these letters been penned by a man to a woman, there would be no fuss, but because we're dealing with two females, the fur flies.Eleanor and Hick loved each other, that's patently obvious from the letters. To me it seems quite apparent there was a sexual relationship as well... so what? FDR had Lucy Mercer in the 1910's and Missy LeHand was his "companion" from 1922-1940, but Eleanor should be relegated to permanent "lonely" status? Even if you don't care about the gossip-y element of this book, it's moderately interesting from a social perspective, particularly if you are interested in 1930's history or mores. There are remarkably few references to Franklin Roosevelt in the correspondence, which might speak volumes for Eleanor's priorities at this time. An interesting book, well edited and entertaining.

I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE LONG OVERDUE IN TERMS OF WOMEN'S ISSUES, PARTICULARLY DURING THE 1930'S AND 1940'S. AS A LOVER OF HISTORY, AND A LESBIAN,IT'S NICE TO GET THE ENTIRE TRUTH ABOUT THIS PROLIFIC FIST LADY AND HER PROFOUND RELATIONSHIP WITH LORENA HICKOK, AN INTENSELY PROLIFIC WOMEN IN HER OWN RIGHT. THE BOOK, ALSO, SHEDS LIGHT ON THE ESCAPADES OF PRESIDENT F.D.ROOSEVELT AND HIS LACKING ABILITY TO EFFICIENTLY OVERSEE THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE US; ELEANOR DOES A DAMN GOOD JOB FILLING IN FOR HER ESTRANGED HUSBAND, WHILE ENGAGING IN HER OWN PERSONAL AND POLITICAL ENDEAVORS.

Earlier biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok often include vigorous denials about the implications of these letters. "It's not what it sounds like," we have been told. So it's refreshing to have these 300 letters collected and commented on by someone not afraid of homosexual implications. Editor Rodger Streitmatter also provides brief biographical and historical information to put the letters in the context of the times. * Streitmatter tries to let the letters speak for themselves, but perhaps he should have tried harder. He has prefaced most of the letters with an explanatory paragraph, and although these are mostly helpful, I became tired of having him point out the paragraph or sentence in which something particularly intimate or revealing would be said. * Streitmatter also has used the term "first friend" as an identifier for Hickok, parallel to "first lady." Not only does this seem a bit too cute, but also, from what we learn about Hickok, it's exactly the kind of designation that would have driven her up the wall. * Overall, though, the book is a revealing and well-balanced portrait of these women's relationship. Whether their relationship was physically sexual or not, it's clear from their letters that they loved each other.