Becoming Madam Secretary
She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it…
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins.
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.
When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.
But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.
Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins.
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.
When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.
But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.
Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.
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Community Reviews
This was a fascinating read. I was unaware of Frances Perkins and her many achievements - she was truly an amazing woman. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with others who became well known, such as Sinclair Lewis, Mary Rumsey, Al Smith, and FDR, who named her to be his Secretary of Labor - the first woman to hold a Cabinet post. Her development as an activist and her personal life are also included; her achievements were not without personal costs.
Stephanie Dray's writing made me feel like she had captured Frances's nature and speech patterns. I appreciated her author's notes, which helped me understand how she pieced Frances's dialogue and thoughts from her existing writing and the accounts of those who knew her, and when she might have had to use her imagination, although it was based on what she knew about Frances. I highly recommend the book, especially for young women who might need some inspiration.
I did finish this book about Francis Perkins and she was an amazing woman. If you ask anyone they would say that they have never heard of her name. I feel that she should go down as one of the great ones in history.
Excellent. How Frances Perkins became the Secretary of Labor and the first female cabinet secretary in US history.
Informative and timely historical fiction based on the life of Frances Perkins, the first woman U.S. cabinet secretary.
No doubt about it. Becoming Madame Secretary rates a solid 10 in my view. Frances Perkins deserves a hero’s treatment for her dogged determination to leave the world a better place. She was an amazing champion for so many things we take for granted nowadays. Busting the inhumane conditions of child labor by prohibiting their employment. Social Security for seniors. Unemployment insurance. And through her Secretary of Labor role, enacting workplace safety and fire prevention safeguards. Kudos to Stephanie Dray for shining the spotlight on the tenacious and dedicated ‘first female’ at the cabinet level. A long overdue tribute, and very enjoyable read to enlighten us on her amazing work.
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