Books like White Houses by Amy Bloom

Lorena Hickok, a driven South Dakota-born journalist, arrives in Washington in 1932 to cover Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural presidential campaign. Despite initial reservations, she finds herself drawn into a profound friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Their bond develops into a passionate love affair that forces Hick to leave her life in the Midwest for the White House—a move that makes her the president’s informal “first friend.” While working within the Roosevelt administration, Hick balances her career, her loyalty to both Eleanor and Franklin, and her own personal growth. The novel follows her journey from a peripheral observer of history to an active participant in the political and social world surrounding the Roosevelts, all while confronting the demands and expectations placed on her as a woman, a journalist, and a lover. Set against the backdrop of the 1930s and the early New Deal era, the story explores themes of public service, personal identity, and the place of LGBTQ relationships in a historically restrictive society. It examines the intimate dynamics among the Roosevelts’ inner circle, highlighting FDR’s complex personality and Eleanor’s influence, as well as the often-overlooked presence of same‑sex affection within the most powerful household in the United States.

First publish date: 2018