HICK

A thorough account of the life of Lorena “Hick” Hickok, an intrepid journalist best known today for her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Hickok was born in 1893. Her childhood was marked by loss—her mother died suddenly when she was 13, and a year later her abusive father announced his engagement to the housekeeper; he split the siblings up, leaving Lorena to fend for herself. She studied journalism, difficult for women at the time, and then worked for newspapers, often as the only woman reporter. Her compelling journalistic voice and dogged persistence were the keys to her success. Hickok rose to prominence at the Associated Press and covered Eleanor Roosevelt’s public appearances during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1932 presidential campaign. Eleanor and Hick’s romantic relationship grew from friendship; by 1933, their correspondence was affectionate, and Hick had given Eleanor a ring that she wore on her pinky, a “secret code” among committed Sapphic couples at the time. Hick, realizing her conflict of interest was unsustainable, left reporting for other pursuits, and the two remained romantically involved until Eleanor’s death in 1962. Afflicted with diabetes- and smoking-related health complications, Hickok died at the age of 75 in 1968. Miller’s prose is clear, thoroughly researched, and highly detailed. She’s careful to note when she has made an informed inference in the absence of primary sources.

A substantial biography of a noteworthy figure.