The First Ladies

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have a knack for compellingly introducing readers to undersung ambitious women in history. In their new novel which earns a worthy spot on the shelf next to The Personal Librarian, the talented pair continues to dip their magic-making pens in little-known women’s history by shining a light on the extraordinary friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, white, privileged, and a Democrat, and Mary McLeod Bethune, a Black Republican woman who was born of formerly enslaved parents. These vastly different women kept me up at night as I clamored for just one more intimate peek into their singular friendship.

The First Ladies opens in 1927 at a luncheon hosted by Eleanor Roosevelt for women leaders of national clubs and organizations. Mary McLeod Bethune, then the president of the National Association of Colored Women and the only Black woman attendee, is snubbed by the other guests. Shy Eleanor braves a conversation with Mary—a conversation that sparks a relationship that spans through the Great Depression and the gubernatorial and presidential terms of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Over the years, Eleanor and Mary forge an unshakeable bond, supporting each other through personal struggles with marital infidelity, illness, loss, and love. And together, the two push an ambitious agenda that helped to form the foundation for the civil rights movement.

This novel is a brilliant illustration of the strength of two trailblazing women who cross race and class and hold hands through tragedy and triumph. The First Ladies is a perfect mid-summer read.

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows she becomes a celebrity, revered by titans of business and recognized by U.S. Presidents. Eleanor Roosevelt herself is awestruck and eager to make her acquaintance. Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education, Mary and Eleanor become fast friends, confiding their secrets, hopes and dreams—and holding each other’s hands through tragedy and triumph.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president, the two women begin to collaborate more closely, particularly as Eleanor moves toward her own agenda separate from FDR, a consequence of the devastating discovery of her husband’s secret love affair. Eleanor becomes a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights. And when she receives threats because of her strong ties to Mary, it only fuels the women’s desire to fight together for justice and equality.

This is the story of two different, yet equally formidable, passionate, and committed women, and the way in which their singular friendship helped form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.