Eleanor and Hick

October 31, 2016
Few know of Eleanor Roosevelt’s decades-long relationship with Lorena “Hick” Hickok, an Associated Press reporter assigned to cover her in the early years of F.D.R.’s presidency. Though previous biographies have marginalized or disregarded this relationship, Quinn’s biography delves deeply into the letters and other records to illustrate a powerfully rich love story that affected the world directly and indirectly. Reader Farr turns in a clever performance for the audio edition. At times, she reads in a straightforward manner. At other points in the book her tone, rhythm, and projection changes, and she becomes lively. These shifts help contrast Roosevelt’s public persona as first lady of the United States and her private life with Hick. A Penguin Press hardcover.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
A dual biography of the 30-year relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) and Lorena Hickok (1893-1968).In 1932, Hickok was an Associated Press journalist writing about politics and other serious matters, unusual for a woman at the time. Soon after she met soon-to-be White House occupant Eleanor, the two formed an intimate relationship that lasted at various levels of intensity until Roosevelt's death. Biographer Quinn (Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times, 2008, etc.) delves into the privileged but unhappy upbringing of Roosevelt--she was the niece of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and distant cousin of her eventual husband, Franklin Roosevelt--on the East Coast and in Europe as well as the poverty-stricken, abusive childhood of Hickok in rural South Dakota. Roosevelt was normally demure, physically tall, and somewhat slender, while Hickok was loud, brash, and overweight. "[Hickok] reveled in food and drink, played a good game of poker, smoked a lot...and was capable of swearing a blue streak," writes the author. "Unlike Eleanor, who kept strong emotions under control, Hick let it all out." Indeed, the intellectual, emotional, and physical chemistry seemed out of sync on the surface. Quinn deftly explores how the unlikely relationship evolved, relying on correspondence between the women, oral histories in archives, various government documents, and numerous other sources that allow readers to learn a great deal about normally private affairs. The author's exploration of Hickok's journalism and government jobs offers detailed, fascinating human portraits of citizens caught in the grip of an extended financial depression. The benevolent and often daring initiatives of Roosevelt have been copiously documented for decades; Quinn sorts through the massive volume of material, making wise choices about how best to illuminate Roosevelt's character. A relentlessly captivating study of two remarkable individuals who helped extend the roles of American women in the public policy realm.

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August 1, 2016

Quinn (Marie Curie: A Life) provides a well-researched dual biography and the story of the relationship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) and journalist Lorena Hickok (1893-1968), nicknamed "Hick." After meeting in 1932 while Hickok was covering Franklin D. Roosevelt's first election, the two women fell in love. Hickok struggled with poverty and abandonment in her early life, succeeding in the male-dominated field of political reporting. When it was clear that her coverage of the first lady could no longer be objective, Eleanor helped Hickok secure a job as a writer with the Works Progress Administration, reporting on New Deal projects across the country. For many years, Hickok lived in the White House and was financially dependent on the Roosevelts, utilizing her connections with them to obtain editorial positions. Although their romance fizzled after a few years, the two women remained friends until Eleanor's death and left behind an extraordinary amount of correspondence for Quinn to mine. VERDICT Fast paced and engaging, this work will enthrall readers of presidential biographies and LGBTQ studies.--Kate Stewart, American Folklife Ctr., Washington, DC

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