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Eleanor Vs. Ike

A Novel

ebook
1 of 2 copies available
1 of 2 copies available

It is a time of turmoil, with the nation mired in an unpopular war in Korea and with Senator Joseph McCarthy stirring up fear of a lurking Communist "menace." Racial discrimination is rampant. A woman's place is in the home. And when a shocking act of God eliminates the Democratic presidential nominee, the party throws its support to an unlikely standard bearer: former First Lady and goodwill ambassador to the world Eleanor Roosevelt.

Captivating and fast-paced, Eleanor vs. Ike pits the unforgettable Eleanor against the enormously popular war hero Gen. Dwight David ("Ike") Eisenhower. But while the opponents promise "an honest campaign," their strategists mire the race in scandal and bitter innuendo. Suddenly Eleanor finds herself a target of powerful insiders who mean to destroy her good name—and Ku Klux Klan assassins dedicated to her death—as she gets caught up in a mad whirl of appearances and political maneuvering . . . and a chance encounter with a precocious five-year-old named Hillary Rodham.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 10, 2007
      The author of two leadership manuals—including one deriving its principles from the life and thought of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)—Gerber imagines a what-if for the former first lady in her first novel. In Gerber’s fictionalized version of the 1952 Democratic convention, Adlai Stevenson suffers a heart attack and dies on stage moments before he is to accept the nomination. The popular Eleanor, a widow since 1945, is quickly brought in to take his place and run against Eisenhower. Her campaign rallies the support of women, unions and African-Americans, but even her own party doubts that Americans will elect a woman president. There’s a sentimental scene in which five-year-old Hillary Rodham meets the former first lady, and a petty scene in which Richard Nixon, then Republican candidate for vice-president, contemplates his dirty fingernails. Eleanor comes across as imperious, intelligent and brave, but clumsy dialogue, historical minutiae and an absence of narrative tension sink the story. The premise is intriguing, though, especially given a former First Lady’s run for the nomination.

    • Booklist

      November 15, 2007
      As the nation ponders the prospect of its first female president, Gerber offers this fictionalized account of Eleanor Roosevelts bid for the presidency against Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. Gerber, political columnist and former Capitol Hill politico, uses her insider knowledge of Washington politics and the history of Roosevelthaving authored Leadership, the Eleanor Roosevelt Way (2002)to speculate on how the revered former First Lady and social reform advocate might have been compelled to run for the highest office.Roosevelt faces questions about the nations readiness to accept a female president, death threats, and the possibility of losing the man she loves, a doctor who is 18 years younger. Gerber captures the political tensions of the time and answers a question on the minds of Americans today via one of the most fascinating women in U.S. history. Readers captivated by Hillary Clintons prospects for the presidency will appreciate this novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

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  • English

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