Obviously some of the thoughts/terms used in this book are very outdated. That said quite a few would be considered fairly progressive even by today's standards, which is pretty bittersweet. Eleanor hoped for things that we haven't yet achieved fully. It is definitely worth reading. ( )

One would not think that a book of advice written in 1933 would have relevance today. You think wrong. Eleanor Roosevelt’s first book, published for the millions of women struggling to keep home and family together during the ravages of the Great Depression, is full of advice that remains true today. Granted, some of the advice she provides is unique to the time period in which she was writing, and the references to Departments of Home Economics and the various menus they recommend have a charming quaintness to them. However, the main piece of advice that runs through each section of the novel is that women have more power and influence than we realize.

While her words are folksy and plain, there is no doubt to Mrs. Roosevelt’s sincerity as she proffers advice on everything from meal planning to working outside the home. She means well, even as she offers advice from a position of profound wealth and privilege to women who have nothing. She interjects anecdotes about women she has met in her travels whose situations directly pertain to the topic at hand, and this lessens the feel of a Have condescending to a Have-not. For all of her efforts however, it is difficult to ignore the fact that Mrs. Roosevelt never felt the burdens of the Great Depression in the same way as the rest of the country. It does not diminish the advice she gives, but it does make the advice a little more difficult to swallow, or so I imagined while reading.

If one just focuses on the advice about women and their changing places in society, what she has to say is inspiring. Her vision of a world where women are viewed as equal to men in every avenue of life is encouraging and so far ahead of her time that some of what she had to say had to have shocked her audience. The shock today is that eighty years later her vision is still not a reality. While women may indeed be highly influential, Mrs. Roosevelt sadly underestimated the barriers men would create to prevent equality among the sexes. However, her enthusiasm and strong belief that women can achieve equality is something we can and should all take to heart.

This short volume, written in 1931, has some astounding moments of prescience. Roosevelt gives practical tips for women (and, at times, me) meant to help families through the depression and also to emphasize that although times and culture were changing, values remain strong. But, to a modern audience, the advice is not particularly informative and is, in places, clearly dated.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!