November 3 — Robin Gerber discusses her book “Eleanor vs. Ike”
The year is 1952 and Eleanor Roosevelt is running for president against Dwight Eisenhower. Voters question whether a woman can be commander-in-chief during the Korean war and the KKK plots to assassinate her. An expert on leadership and politics, Robin Gerber will talk about the startling similarities between her new novel and the actual presidential election of 2008.
When: Monday, November 3, 7 pm
Where: Arthur M. Glick JCC, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260
Part of the Ann Katz Festival of Books.
A summary of Robin Gerber’s Eleanor vs. Ike:
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.
Why does Provocate think you should attend this event?
Robin Gerber knows her Eleanor, she wrote Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way: Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage. She was maybe as disappointed as Hilary that the Clinton campaign didn’t quite make it … sales of “Eleanor vs. Ike” would be going through the roof if we had a 2008 version of Former First Lavy vs. Military Hero.
If you think this sounds interesting, be sure to check out …
The conference on women and philanthropy on November 13 would be just the place you’d expect to see the public-spirited Eleanor Roosevelt today.
