Point of View

White Houses is told from the first person perspective of Lorena “Hick” Hickok, the real-life close friend and purported lover of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The author imbues Hickok with keen insight into the character of Roosevelt, while also chronicling Hickok's own fascinating and often troubling life experiences. These include her difficult childhood as a victim of abuse, followed by stints as a hired domestic worker while she was still a teenager. Hickok was a truly self-made success story, rising out of this difficult situation to become a prominent journalist, government employee, and of course, cherished associate of Eleanor Roosevelt. Some aspects of Hickok's life described in the novel are fiction, however, including her brief stint traveling with the circus.

Hick's career as a journalist allows the author many opportunities to comment on the historical events of the time, presenting Hick's view of the Lindbergh...