Becoming Madam Secretary.

 

 

 ★★★★

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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Becoming Madam Secretary is a book you won't forget. I've wanted to read this book since I found out Stephanie Dray is writing a new book. I would have read it sooner if my library didn’t have a long waitlist. At a book festival a few months back, I met Stephanie Dray , who had a panel discussion about Becoming Madam Secretary, so I got some information about Frances Perkins. Before that, I had no idea who Frances Perkins was or what she had accomplished. After reading the book, I felt I had learned much about her. After finishing the novel, I did my research on Frances Perkins because I couldn't stop myself from being intrigued. 

This is unlike the historical fiction I read previously, which I loved about this book. I could tell how much research went into this book. Stephanie Dray did an outstanding job. I enjoyed reading about Frances Perkins' life and felt transported to her world as I read. Frances is a strong woman who will not give up on what she believes in. I adored her friendship with Mary, who supported Frances in many things Frances accomplished and cheered her on. It could be me, but I thought she wouldn't have gone as far as she did if it wasn't for Mary since when Frances had concerns, Mary pushed her to go for it. Everyone needs a friend like Mary. 

I never anticipated Frances would appreciate Franklin Roosevelt or end up working for him. When the two of them first met. When the two of them just met, I felt she wanted nothing to do with him. Besides Frances Perkins, of all the characters, Franklin Roosevelt changed the most; it was as if he became an entirely different person. I couldn't stop reading this book, and a part of me didn't want the story to end. I suggest this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.