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There are currently 33 member reviews
for Becoming Madam Secretary
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Jim T. (North Ridgeville, OH)
Inspiring Story of Frances Perkins
If you love history, you will love this book. If you love stories about strong women who made a difference in this world despite having to overcome barriers that no man would encounter, especially in times past, then you will love this book. Frances Perkins was the first female member of a President's cabinet, serving as Secretary of Labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945. When I began to read the book, I knew all that. I quickly realized that I knew nothing about Perkins' life and the incredible extent of her accomplishments in that office.
The job of writing historical fiction about a larger-than-life character like Ms. Perkins and all the important people she had to push, cajole, and convince, requires not only extensive research but also the creativity to try to discern and write what plausibly could have been her thoughts and her conversations. Stephanie Dray did a masterful job of all the above. As she says in her Author's Notes, "Novelists can go where historians rightly fear to tread."
The prologue begins with a scene in FDR's office in 1933 where he is asking her to be his Secretary of Labor. For reasons we learn later, she has already decided she would not accept the appointment. She lays out what she would do if she had the position, assuming that her agenda was so radical that he wouldn't agree to it. To her amazement, FDR agreed to every jot and tittle of her agenda. How could she say no?
Chapter One takes us back in time to the summer of 1909 when Frances was getting a master's degree in economics. Upon graduation, she begins a career of fighting for worker's rights and improved working conditions. She observed the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which changed her life's mission into being an unstoppable force for safety in the workplace. This led to successes and the attention of Governor Al Smith and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as FDR.
The author delves into Perkins' personal life, a happy marriage that gradually disintegrated due to her husband's growing mental illness, which seemed to be genetically transmitted to their daughter as well. It was for this reason that she was reluctant to take the position offered by FDR. But she did, and brought about legislation which even today affects every citizen of the USA. Without Frances Perkins, there is some doubt that we would have ever had Social Security, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, child labor laws, and so many other safety net programs.
But the real story here is how she had to endure hatred, lies, death threats, scorn in the press, and sabotage by other members of the Cabinet; yet she maintained her dignity, pressing forward to get the programs she knew were needed by the American people. This is a book about history, but more importantly an inspiring story about courage and persistence in the face of seemingly impassable barriers. The author allows us to experience what might have been the anguish in Perkins' inner thoughts and feelings, which she never displayed to the outside world.
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Erica M. (Chicago, IL)
An Intelligent woman of the 1920s and 30s
At first, I thought that the author was a good storyteller but not a great writer. As the book went on, I became so engrossed in the story, that I began to truly appreciate her writing style. Women in the 1920s and 30s were expected to fulfill their roles as wives and mothers. Frances Perkins was fortunate to have married a man who respected her intelligence, her abilities, and her need to work. Having taken the lead on important social issues, she gained the respect of politicians and was perfectly positioned for FDR to appoint her his Secretary of Labor. She learned to balance her intelligence and her causes against what men would accept from her as a lone women amongst all men, so that she was both listened to and heard. It was a remarkable feat. The writing compels the reader forward in a very satisfying way.
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Shawna L. (Pearland, TX)
Outstanding Historical Fiction
I knew very little about Frances Perkins but am familiar with the history of the FDR era. I found myself wondering how much was historical and how much was fiction. Dray's note at the end detailed what was historical. As usual, Dray has done her research and the novel stays close to fact in much of the novel. The influence of Frances Perkins continues to this day. Book groups will find much to discuss about Miss Perkins' personal life, professional life, and the balance between them.
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Ellen H. (Leonia, NJ)
Such an impressive woman!
I really enjoyed Becoming Madam Secretary. I knew a little about Frances Perkins but learned so much more reading the book. Her legacy spans many years, famous personalities, and social issues. She was influential in reforms on child labor, maximum working hours, standard minimum wage, and a Social Security safety net for American laborers. There are so many things that we take for granted today that she championed during her career. She encountered many famous people working and found a way to work with all of them to advance her revolutionary ideas. McManus of Tammany Hall, Al Smith, FDR and the author Sinclair Lewis all are woven into Secretary Perkins story. She worked alongside Jane Addams, Florence Kelley and Mary Harriman Rumsey for the rights of children and women in the workforce. She was a very private woman, but her own personal story is very moving. Her support of her husband and daughter during their struggles with mental illness and her deep friendships attest to her strength of character. The author, Stephanie Dray did an excellent job of bringing Frances Perkins to light in this book.
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Jeanne W. (Colorado Springs, CO)
Historical Fiction at Its Best
What a great book! I'm embarrassed to say I knew nothing of Frances Perkins nor her incredible achievements. A fiction book that sends the reader searching for more information must be a great book and this is one of them. She was such an accomplished woman, for her times and even for today, and she should be an entire chapter in school history books. Because the source material was, at times, difficult to come by or non-existent, sometimes the book comes across as a series of vignettes. But that's my only critique and I continue to be astonished that a book about the woman deeply involved in FDR's New Deal and the architect of Social Security could be such a page-turner!
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Jane M. (Carmel, IN)
Great story
What a powerful story about a person I had never heard of but who was very important to US history. I am in awe of women who persevered through so much opposition when there were no role models for them. This book was very well written and I really enjoyed the author's note at the end.
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Carole A. (Denver, CO)
Strong woman on whose shoulders women and the nation stand
As a student of history I always enjoy the historical fiction treatment for people and events created by various authors. Becoming Madame Secretary so enlightening about Frances Perkins and her role in the events that shaped the world as we know it today I call it historical fiction with a capital "H". Indeed one must wonder where our nation would be if not for Frances Perkins.
Women who have been and are in public service and also with careers in other fields know the challenges of these positions when coupled with marriage and a family. What Perkins achieved is amazing. We can certainly thank her as one of the women on whose shoulders we stand as she forged new pathways for women.
The counsel and foresight Perkins shared with Roosevelt did, there is little doubt, contribute to many of the positive directions and programs during his administrations. Dray, true to her previous books, has woven an interesting dialogue covering some very important parts of the history of our nation.
A book worth reading for your personal illumination as well as a book destined for book clubs and the many different directions the conversations can flow.
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