What readers think of Becoming Madam Secretary, plus links to write your own review.

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.

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.

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!

Frances Perkins was an extraordinary woman. Stephanie Dray exhaustively highlights her achievements as first a social worker researching and seeking to improve the nutrition of babies and finally as a trusted and effective member of FDR's cabinet. As Labor Secretary, the first woman ever to be a member of any Presidential cabinet, she fought to institute our social security system, rescue Jewish children from Nazi held countries and championed many excellent WPA projects that gave people jobs and dignity. She continued her fight for the rights of workers. She also fought the many men who sought to marginalize her throughout her life.
Dray also shed light on Perkin's personal life. Her lifelong love/hate relationship with her mother. The downward spiral of her once happy marriage as her husband Paul is increasingly depressed and eventually needed to be institutionalized. Her friendships with Sinclair Lewis, Eleanor Roosevelt and millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey who provided her with both financial assistance and an emotional bond that was the most important in her life. Dray also portrays Perkins struggles, so pertinent to many working woman, to juggle her commitment to be a loving, available mother to her daughter throughout their lives with her commitment to her equally demanding and fulfilling work life.
I was familiar with the important role that Perkins played in the Roosevelt's new deal but learned so much more about her truly consequential role as a social reformer. However, the book is often repetitive and provides overly exhaustive detail, especially regarding her relationships with Paul and Ramsey. I often found I skipped whole pages to avoid some details. Overall, this is an illuminating look at a very important social reformer who broke many glass ceilings long before we characterized her success in that light.

I found Stephanie Dray's book very interesting and well written. As with so many historical fiction books that feature women in prominent roles, this book introduced me to another women, Frances Perkins, a strong advocate and leader in labor issues. Miss Perkins (as she was addressed) became the first women who served in the U.S. Cabinet after being nominated by President-elect Franklin Roosevelt. The author includes Perkins work for the poor and underemployed women and children aa well as her private life and the struggle she faced in each and the conflict she managed between the two. If history classes had featured more women such as Perkins, and less war stories, perhaps I and many other women and girls would find history interesting and relatable. Drays has written a book that expands our knowledge of women in history.

Becoming Madame Secretary by Stephanie Day is an excellent example of historical fiction.

It engaged me from the beginning and is an easy read that kept my attention. The little known characters such as Frances Perkins and Charles Wyzanski and well known such as FDR and Sinclair Lewis were well developed and believable. The story moved along without extra verbiage and kept me engaged.

Francis Perkins deserves to have her story told and I'm glad I was able to learn about her.

Madam Secretary is a very interesting look at a different and revolutionary period in the history of the US. It's time when woman were asserting their rights to be included in the decisions in the US. Frances Perkins was the first woman who was appointed to a cabinet position under Franklin Roosevelt. Interesting to see how her growth as a person along with her elevation of appreciation for Franklin She faced many of the obstacles that woman still face today but managed to change society towards helping those less fortunate and the elderly. I learned many things I didn't know about both her and Franklin Roosevelt. Good read!

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.