Roosevelt House

Courtesy of Hunter College

Located on 47-49 East 65 Street in New York City, the Roosevelt House was once home to one of the greatest American presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The house was purchased for Franklin and his wife, Eleanor, by Franklin's mother, Sara. Although from the outside it looks like one house, in reality it was two separate homes, one for Franklin and Eleanor and the other for Sara. The house served as the Roosevelt's primary residence in New York City and this was were the president recovered after contracting polio. Shortly after the death of Sara Delano Roosevelt the house was put on sale and was ultimately purchased by Hunter College and named the Sara Delano Roosevelt Interfaith Memorial House, in honor of the president's deceased mother who had been a great supporter of interfaith tolerance and understanding. The house served as a gathering place and wedding hall for many Hunter students and the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, would often visit. Hunter would establish very close relations with the Roosevelts and in fact Eleanor would speak at Hunter several times and establish a great friendship with the president of Hunter College, Dr. George Schuster. The Roosevelt House was forced to close in 1992 due to the house having fallen into disrepair. It has only reopened last summer and is now home to Hunter College's Public Policy Institute. At the same time, the house remains a historic monument and tours are being given which discuss Roosevelt life in the house.


For more information on the Hunter College Public Policy Institute visit:

http://www.roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu/

Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore

Bettany Hughes' Helen of Troy takes an interesting approach to the legendary heroine. Using our knowledge of the Bronze Age, the time during which the legendary Trojan War would have taken place, she tries to reconstruct the real Helen. In this book, Hughes reveals a powerful royal woman who was central to a society where the right to rule was passed down through the female line and where woman were held to be sacred. Bettany Hughes also discusses in great detail the difference between the modern notion of the helpless captive who was stolen by a Trojan prince and the more realistic sovereign woman who chose a better catch. Hughes also examines the politics of the time and suggests that the legendary Trojan War may have been based on a real conflict fought not only over a woman but in order to bring down an extremely wealthy eastern province, perhaps even starting the eternal feud between East and West.

Courtesy of Amazon.com

This book is extremely well written with its descriptions bringing the Bronze Age to life. Furthermore, Hughes presents various perspectives creating a well rounded narrative while at the same time presenting a clear hypothesis. It is interesting to see Helen portrayed as a powerful female as opposed to the play thing of powerful men seen in Hollywood films such as Troy. I highly recommend this book, but for those who would prefer to watch rather than read about Helen of Troy Bettany Hughes has made a documentary called Helen of Troy which can be watched on PBS

The Borgias

Courtesy of Showtime

Just got back from a wonderful vacation in Italy and have begun to watch Showtime's new series, The Borgias. I believe that just like with The Tudors Showtime has done a good job making history as enjoyable as possible. The Borgias focuses on the papacy of Pope Alexander or Rodrigo Borgia. The Borgia family became infamous for poisoning its enemies and it's mob like mentality. In fact, some have even gone so far as to say that the Borgias were the original mafia. Whether or not this is true, the show does focus on the sinfulness of the time with both the Pope and his son Cardinal Cesare enjoying numerous love affairs. There is plenty of blood, but in my opinion it serves a purpose and is not just used for effect. While it is true that the story does not always stick with historical fact some license must be given to the fact that The Borgias does not claim to be a documentary, but a drama. It is exciting and perhaps will encourage its viewers to examine the time period more closely. The actors are great, it seems like they have truly immersed themselves into the period. Overall, this new show has my support and will hopeful continue to live up to its expectations.