Chapter 4 Summary

Whereas Chapter 3 is about Franklin's childhood, Chapter 4 is about Eleanor's.

Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of a well-known, prominent family in New York. Both Eleanor and Franklin were Roosevelts, but from different branches of the same family. Her father was the brother of President Theodore Roosevelt. Her mother was a society belle renowned for her exquisite beauty. Together they made a dazzling couple, but they presented problems for their three children. Anna Roosevelt was so self-absorbed that she was cold and remote to others. She was particularly mean to her homely daughter, Eleanor. Anna died when Eleanor was only eight. Eleanor's father, Elliot, was an alcoholic who died at age thirty-four when he jumped out of a window, leaving Eleanor and her brothers orphans when she was only ten.

Despite all his problems and instability, Eleanor adored her father and felt that she...