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
I am absolutely loving this book and learning so much about the history of the U.S. in the early 1900s. Frances Perkins was a reformer, a suffragist, and enjoyed working for the public good. She has a college degree in economics and is determined to make a difference. She works as a lobbyist for the New York State legislature urging them to pass reform bills that will reduce the workweek to 54 hours. In light of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, she becomes a strong advocate for improving safety conditions at factories. She is an amazing, admirable character and truly a force with which to contend. There is also reference to Teddy Roosevelt, the former president, his cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, and other politicians of the day. It is amazing how she convinces the powerful men at Tammany Hall to support her endeavors. Courageously she approaches one of the leaders to urge for release from jail of a boy whose mother and sisters depend on his working in order to survive.
I am in awe of this incredibly strong woman who did so much for our country. I had heard of her before, but never realized she was so important behind the scenes in implementing FDR's New Deal. We have her to thank for the Social Security program we have today. She also dealt with incredible personal suffering, having a spouse with a serious mental illness.
I loved the way the author concluded the book by jumping ahead to 1963 for an update. Her explanatory notes were also wonderful in explaining how she put together the book and incorporated so much of the real life of Frances Perkins, yet explained where she may have changed a few things to make the book flow better. For example, she did not include everything about Perkins, or everyone she encountered, concentrating on a several key characters. She lets the readers form their own conclusions about her sexuality and relationship with Mary Rumsey, and I love her for that. Sometimes authors of historical fiction take liberties with the person's life and twist things a little too much for my comfort. I am always interested in learning afterwards what was true and what was invented. I have enjoyed books by Dray in the past and consider one of the finest authors of historical fiction.
I am in awe of this incredibly strong woman who did so much for our country. I had heard of her before, but never realized she was so important behind the scenes in implementing FDR's New Deal. We have her to thank for the Social Security program we have today. She also dealt with incredible personal suffering, having a spouse with a serious mental illness.
I loved the way the author concluded the book by jumping ahead to 1963 for an update. Her explanatory notes were also wonderful in explaining how she put together the book and incorporated so much of the real life of Frances Perkins, yet explained where she may have changed a few things to make the book flow better. For example, she did not include everything about Perkins, or everyone she encountered, concentrating on a several key characters. She lets the readers form their own conclusions about her sexuality and relationship with Mary Rumsey, and I love her for that. Sometimes authors of historical fiction take liberties with the person's life and twist things a little too much for my comfort. I am always interested in learning afterwards what was true and what was invented. I have enjoyed books by Dray in the past and consider one of the finest authors of historical fiction.
Didn't know the history of Frances Perkins. While I loved learning the history in trying to stay true to facts I think it ended up being too dry.
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.
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