Donn Mitchell is a professor at Fordham University. He has previously taught at the General Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Manhattan College. Mitchell is the author of Tread the City’s Streets Again: Frances Perkins Shares Her Theology, and has contributed to A Promise to All Generations, edited by Kirsten Downey and Christopher Breiseth, as well as Rebuilding Communion: Who Pays the Price?, edited by Peter Francis. His work has appeared in The Christian Century, The Living Church, and Anglican Theological Review. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
 

“Mitchell makes a convincing case that Roosevelt’s moral compass was formed by her personal spirituality, the communal element of church life, and biblical narratives that subconsciously informed the way she perceived the world. It adds up to a fresh take on the influences that formed a key figure in 20th-century American history.”

“No account of the extraordinary life and achievements of Eleanor Roosevelt is complete without attention to the ways her deep Christian faith affected every aspect of her public and private life.  Yet most of her biographers have followed the trend of political historians to minimize the role of religion in the lives of their subjects.  Now, thanks to this richly sourced spiritual biography by Donn Mitchell, no one will be able to make that mistake again.”

“Having produced an excellent biography of Frances Perkins, Donn Mitchell revisits the Episcopal inheritance of another New Deal figure, spiritual activist Eleanor Roosevelt. This biography is the first to deeply explore the formation and practice of one of the most visible global women leaders of the mid-twentieth century. Throughout, Mitchell capably brings to life the connections between Eleanor Roosevelt's spiritual center and her active church life, as well as her consequential public activism. Roosevelt admirers, as well as those interested in religious and political history, will appreciate this accessibly written book. In an era marked by widespread uncertainty about the church's effectiveness in addressing human suffering, this book offers an example of the power of one life dedicated to Christian activism.”  

“Through storytelling that is wonderfully engaging, sometimes profoundly moving, consistently undergirded by meticulous research, and keenly emphatic regarding religion’s communal and narrative dimensions, Donn Mitchell makes clear the depth of Eleanor Roosevelt’s commitment to Episcopal Christianity and the ways in which her nightly prayer informed her purpose-filled life.” 

“From infancy, Eleanor’s worldview was shaped by the Episcopal Church, with a faith structure and commitment to public service that provided the values and personal stability to anchor one of the most remarkable lives of service in the twentieth century. Mitchell draws a rich tapestry of her several churches . . .  and demonstrates the pervasiveness of Eleanor Roosevelt’s religious perspectives—even if not oft labelled as such by historians.”