Hick: The Trailblazing Journalist Who Captured Eleanor Roosevelt’s Heart

Beginning on the eve of FDR’s 1933 inauguration, Miller (Hanged!) presents a well-researched biography of reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickok (1893–1968), focusing particularly on her work as “just about the top gal reporter in the country” and her connection with activist and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962). Moving at a quick clip, a prologue explains how Hick didn’t just break the glass ceiling of newspaper reporting in the 1920s and ’30s—she shattered it. The first of four sections next rolls back to detail the subject’s difficult childhood, including her raging father’s constant abuse and her mother’s sudden death, before moving forward into her adult life. On her own from her early teens, Hick goes into domestic service, studies journalism, then lands early reporting jobs before making a leap to the Associated Press, for which she interviews Roosevelt. Observational prose that dives into the bias-based limitations Hick faced as a woman reporter also unfurls the women’s subsequent romantic relationship, which would continue for decades, hidden from the public until after their deaths. It’s an extremely thorough recounting that’s at its strongest when considering Hick as not just a female pioneer in the male-dominated news world but a passionate individual who chose to live, and love, on her own terms. Includes a note about terminology used. Ages 12–up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (May)