Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray is a wonderful historical fiction read. The book begins in 1909 and ends in 1963. Stephanie Dray's research into the life and career of Frances Perkins is very well done. Frances Perkins lived in a time of great societal change in the US, and became the first cabinet level secretary in the Roosevelt administration. I did not know anything about this remarkable woman and I am very happy to have learned about her and her career. The book is written in the voice of Frances Perkins and so well done that you feel you are right with her witnessing her life. Her struggles to overcome the horrors of unfair, cruel and unsafe work environments, poverty and her own personal struggles at home are a testament to her strength and character so very well portrayed in the book. The book caused me to research her and learn more about the different events and people she worked with and against. Stephanie Dray does a good job giving all who read Becoming Madam Secretary a history lesson well worth knowing. I would highly recommend everyone read the authors notes at the end of the book as well.