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 new 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.
Show more
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Becoming Madam Secretary is the story of Frances Perkins– “a vibrant and fashionable woman whose life was a whirlwind of adventure, romance, activism, and achievement. Perkins played a pivotal role in advancing many aspects of modern life we take for granted: weekends, fire and food safety regulations, unemployment insurance, Social Security, and much more…There is no American life in the past century that has not been touched by Frances Perkins and her service to the country…Yet most Americans don’t remember her name.”
“A good Christian on a mission from the Lord with a fine patriot pedigree...She wasn’t all parties and pearls.” She had “a certain dauntless quality” bordering on reckless bravado. “Intelligent, interesting, and determined” Perkins was “a force of nature.” Outraged scientist and social worker, dependable statistician and politician, Frances was a woman of influence. If the Department of Labor was a temple to human toil, Perkins was its high priestess. A petition was circulated at one point calling her the “Most Dangerous Woman in America.”
She was unequal in her firm adherence to principle, nobility and strength. Compelled by courage, she had no fear of “confronting bosses, factory owners, dynamite wielding strikers, and corrupt immigration officers.”
“Social security was the trusty parasol with which I hoped to fend off American poverty. If I’d been born to do anything, it was this…when I was finally too old to brandish my parasol for another battle, my legacy would be shaped by those who came after me…at the rate of return of living in a more compassionate world.”
“I can’t imagine why anyone would try to change the world unless they believed in happy endings.” When I picked up the book, my curiosity was piqued; when I read her story, I was smitten. Author Stephanie Dray contends that “Frances Perkins was the most important woman in American history,” and I agree. Becoming Madam Secretary brings to life “this incredible unsung American heroine who took on titans, battled with generals, and revolutionized the world as we know it today.”
Show more
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.