Review by Choice Review
Schmidt, an author and journalist, fills an important gap in the historical works on the nation's 32nd first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Her lively account focuses specifically on Mrs. Roosevelt's 1943 trip to various ports of call and military outposts in the South Pacific. Schmidt reminds readers that this fact-finding goodwill mission was similar to the many times the first lady acted as the eyes and ears for an incapacitated president who could not easily visit coal mines and other sites where New Deal programs were being implemented to combat the Great Depression. Her ultimate goal was to visit the tiny island of Guadalcanal, where some of the most intense fighting had taken place in the Pacific. She wanted to provide an increasingly complacent home front with a clear picture of the heroic sacrifices that the troops on the frontlines were making. Some field commanders, like Admiral William F. Halsey, viewed her trip initially as a political stunt to help shore up her husband's reelection chances in 1944. Most of her critics were silenced when it became clear that the visit had achieved its purpose--to lift the spirits of men and women in uniform. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduates. --Bob Miller, University of Cincinnati-Clermont
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Schmidt offers a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt's trip overseas to the Pacific theater during WWII. FDR implored Eleanor to visit sites such as Guadalcanal and the South Pacific Islands, as morale was low among troops, who felt estranged from the European front and were encountering jungle warfare. Schmidt demonstrates that Eleanor was not only a tireless advocate for the troops but was also physically intrepid, adhering to a rigorous schedule. It was not uncommon for her to ignore protocol and eat breakfast with the enlisted men, as her sons advised her to do. She initially traveled incognito, and military commanders were flummoxed by her presence. She spared the president none of the carnage she witnessed in hospitals and burn wards. Her visit abroad drew headlines, both supportive and scornful. Eleanor focused her energies on the troops and, as Schmidt reveals, continued to press for legislation to support servicemen when they came home. Schmidt also emphasizes Eleanor's support for women working on the home front, agitating for resources such as child care and equal pay. Eleanor Roosevelt's legacy of activism and mettle continue to inspire. Recommended.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this amiable history, freelance writer Schmidt (Novel Destinations) documents Eleanor Roosevelt's 1943 mission to visit Allied troops in the Pacific theater of WWII. Concerned that after two years of war U.S. civilians were becoming "dangerously complacent," Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt believed that a trip to the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand would help "revive the strong sense of national unity that existed in the dark, shocking days after Pearl Harbor." Schmidt takes readers through Eleanor's exhausting five-week itinerary visiting hospital wards, mess halls, Red Cross facilities, and factories staffed by women workers. Talking with "tongue-tied" soldiers eager for news from the home front, Eleanor soon won over senior military officers who had been averse to the "distraction" of a visit from the first lady; after witnessing "the meticulous way she toured a hospital," Adm. William Halsey did an "about-face" and consented to Eleanor's request to visit Guadalcanal, despite rumors that Japanese troops were "hiding out on the far side of the island." Though the announcement of Eleanor's trip "generated both support and scorn, much of it along political lines," American newspapers covered the tour in detail, and Schmidt suggests that it helped galvanize support for the GI Bill of Rights and other programs to assist returning servicemen. Though somewhat baggy, this sepia-tinged portrait captures the appeal of a pathbreaking first lady. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Journalist Schmidt (co-author, Novel Destinations) has written a succinct narrative of Eleanor Roosevelt's secret trip to the Pacific at the height of World War II in August of 1943. The author's ability to combine place with subject is unsurpassed here. Eleanor Roosevelt had carefully chronicled her trip to Australia, New Zealand, Guadalcanal, and other areas of the Pacific both through her own writing and in her "My Day" columns. Schmidt, however, draws on additional sources involved during that time to provide a complete view of her important contributions to morale and to improvements in the conditions in these areas. While the work centers on Eleanor's travels and contributions, it also serves as a mini-history of this theater of World War II. Roosevelt herself only devotes a small chapter of her 1958 autobiography to her travels in the Pacific. VERDICT This work provides numerous details and the context needed to understand the trials and difficulties of Eleanor Roosevelt's historic undertaking. Readers interested in World War II or women's roles in the war effort will likely appreciate this enjoyable read.--Maria Ashton-Stebbings
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