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There are currently 33 member reviews
for Becoming Madam Secretary
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Janice A. (Colfax, WI)
Becoming Madam Secretary
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.
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Dianne S. (East Meadow, NY)
Everything you wanted (or did not want) to know about Frances Perkins
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.
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Mary Jane D. (Arlington Heights, IL)
Good Historical Read
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.
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Janet T. (Westford, MA)
Madam Secretary
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!
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Miss Liz
Becoming Madam Secretary
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.
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Lorraine K. (Stamford, CT)
My Favorite Genre, Historical Fiction
I had never heard of Frances Perkins; this book did exactly what I think Historical Fiction is supposed to do. It encouraged me to find out more about Frances. The book had all the elements I look forward to in a good read. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it caused me to read more about Frances! Thank you Stephanie Dray!
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Deborah C. (Highland Park, NJ)
Rediscovering a 20th century American heroine
Thank you to BookBrowse and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.
This vivid novel, told in the voice of Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. Cabinet member, brings to life this forgotten pioneer in the fight against poverty. It communicates Frances Perkins' sense of mission and of responsibility, as well as the sacrifices she made as a public servant, and re-introduces and re-establishes her as a true American hero.
Frances Perkins (1880-1965) trained in social work and economics, was part of the original, early 20th century Progressive Movement in American politics. She fought for the safety, health, and other rights of children, women, the poor and the elderly. And she conceived of "social insurance," the Social Security that became law, with her guidance, under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935. During this time, she had personal losses and tragedies, including the manic-depressive illness and hospitalization of her husband, which were kept from the public with the help of influential women like Eleanor Roosevelt.
Despite this, "Miss Perkins," as she preferred to be known, became a lightning rod for conservative opponents, and was often vilified in the press and hampered by powerful men in achieving her compassionate yet pragmatic goals.
A very private person, Miss Perkins did not leave much information about her own emotional life; author Stephanie Dray does a fine job of using what records remain, including love letters and poems, to describe what Miss Perkins may have experienced as she fought against misogyny and elitism to protect vulnerable people at all levels of society.
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