Title: Becoming Madam SecretaryAuthor: Stephanie Dray
Publication: March 12, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Find it on: Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Blackwell’s | Google Play | Kobo | Waterstones
Rating: 4/5★
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.
“My family built this country with muddy hands and a spark of madness.”
Becoming Madam Secretary is a historical fiction about Frances Perkins. Before starting this book I had absolutely no idea who she was (which is not too weird since I’m Belgian and don’t know a whole lot about the United State’s early 20th century history) but knowing that Stephanie Dray wrote it I didn’t hesitate to sign up for the blog tour and to read this book. And as always Stephanie Dray excelled to teach me about amazing women and excel at writing an amazing story.
Frances Perkins was not only the first woman to be appointed to serve in a presidential cabinet, she was also the longest serving in the position of Secretary of Labor (from 1933 to 1945). She accomplished so much in a time when it wasn’t at all normal for a woman to make a carreer such as she did, especially in the political world. During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s terms as president, she helped lead the country through The Great Depression. She also played a really important role in developing a policy for social security, which it’s taken for granted these days but was a big struggle in the 1930s. And of course we can’t forget about World War II where many labor questions had to be answered. I can’t possibly name all of her accomplishments. You’re going to have to read this book to learn more about her.
“Are you sure you want these things done? Because you won’t want me for secretary of labor if you don’t. I’d be an embarrassment to you, because when I start on a thing, I round up cohorts. I whip up public demand. You wouldn’t want me if you didn’t want that.”
I absolutely loved reading about Frances when she was just starting out, living in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City and researching child malnutrition, which she wrote a thesis on. It’s then that she met many new friends who were activits, politicans, artists and so on. Especially Mary Rumsey who became a lifetime friend and confidante. She lived in quite a tumulteous time, having witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire where 123 women and 23 men died in, which of course left a big impression on her.
Was she always a likable character in this book? No. She sacrificed a lot of her family time to her carreer. This could be a little sad to read about but that doesn’t take away that she was an skilled politician in times of need especially, who made life a lot better for many people. Both her husband and daughter struggled with mental health issues which is something that must’ve also been incredibly difficult for Frances and her family, in particular because there weren’t many treatments back then, unlike now. This definitely made my heart ache for everyone involved.
“Miss Perkins, sometimes there’s a man—or a woman— who is made for a moment. I happen to think you were made for this one.”
Although a fictionalized account of Perkins’ life, it’s clear that Stephanie Dray did her research very well. This is not something that surprised me because this author always does a great job of research and prep. This is also why I loved reading the author’s note, to find out which events were totally real, fictionalized or a bit of both. If you end up reading Becoming Madam Secretary, definitely don’t skip this when you finish the book because it’s a really good one. The only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars is that in the end the book might’ve been a tad too drawn out for me, especially the last few chapters but other than that it was an excellent read.
Becoming Madam Secretary is yet another stunning story about a woman from history that absolutely deserves more recognition. The writing was engaging with a lot of character development and important historical events. Stephanie Dray remains one of the queens of historical fiction!
About the author:
Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into many languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books.
I barely remember Frances Perkins from my own schooling, but this sounds like an excellent book to learn more about her. I’m glad this was such a success!
She seemed like such a fascinating women. Stephanie Dray told her story really well, if I say so myself 😀
I haven’t read any Stephanie Dray yet, nor did I know about Frances Perkins, but this indeed sounds like such a fascinating read!
I’m also just really happy to have read another Stephanie Dray book. It’s been a while!
Well as I love historical fiction that seems just my kind of book Stephanie!
I think you would enjoy it, Sophie!
I know absolutely nothing about the lady, as I’m a Brit – but I have read about the lives of similar brave and forward-thinking women in an era where women weren’t welcomed within any power structure, especially political. And yes… it’s sad to think she had to choose between her family and career. I think that still goes on, to be honest. Thank you for sharing, Stephanie.
I’m American and I’m sad to say I don’t know anything about this woman! But I’d be thrilled to learn more from this book!
Thos looks like an outstanding read. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour.