‘Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady’ By Susan Quinn

In 1932, Eleanor Roosevelt was stuck in a disappointing marriage and dreading losing her freedom to the highly public and over-examined role of First Lady. But when she finds a friend in a spirited reporter from the Associated Press named Lorena Hickok, aka Hick, they find a way to make each other into something more. Susan Quinn (Marie Curie, The Furious Improvisation) examines the relationship between Eleanor and Hick spanning more than 30 years that saw them as lovers, confidantes, professional advisors, and caring friends. In her engaging work, Quinn examines how these two women from drastically different backgrounds forged a bond and pushed for change in a world that needed it, encouraging each other to report Depression-era poverty, push for the New Deal, lead the Human Rights Commission, and more. Penguin Press (penguinrandomhouse.com). —Bradley Donalson