With Love, Aunt Eleanor: Stories from My Life with the First Lady of the World

This nostalgic book combines antique b&w and sepia-toned photographs with remembrances about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, offering a charming portrait of a woman and an era. The author, whose father was the First Lady's brother, enjoyed a close relationship with her aunt for 42 years, and her book has the feel of a highly personal family scrapbook. The author divulges the challenges that come with being named Eleanor Roosevelt, the Second, the least of which is her difficulty ordering pizza for delivery (""there is always a pause before the young man says, 'Lady, you better come down here and pick up the pizza yourself'""). Jokes aside, Roosevelt shares little-known aspects of her aunt's life that ring with simplicity and reveal the politician's charm. She writes lovingly of her first recollection of her aunt (""A very tall figure stood framed in a big doorway, welcoming me with open arms""), a boat trip down the Hudson River with Aunt Eleanor and Edward R. Murrow, and picking flowers with Aunt Eleanor in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. A fine choice for Roosevelt devotees, this book may be too personal in its scope to lure other readers. 180 duotones, 15 line drawings.