The First Ladies

Benedict and Murray (The Personal Librarian) deliver a dazzling narrative of the friendship between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Black educator Mary McLeod Bethune. The two women meet at a conference in 1927, when Eleanor runs a progressive girls’ school and Mary serves as president of a college. Eleanor, who is estranged from her husband, Franklin, because of his affair with Lucy Mercer, joins Mary’s campaign to stop lynching and secure greater civil rights for Black people. After Franklin becomes president, he stymies Eleanor and Mary’s efforts by taking advice from powerful allies who caution against upsetting a Southern Democratic base that supports segregation and resists anti-lynching efforts. Mary, dubbed “the first lady of struggle” by Eleanor, is confident, transactional, and unafraid of “audacious asks,” however, and persuades Eleanor to intercede with the president on Mary’s behalf. Although Mary accomplishes much for African Americans, including the appointment of the first Black Air Force general, she is accused of pandering to the Roosevelts by younger activists who want to march on Washington, D.C., when Franklin doesn’t live up to his promise of ending discrimination in the military. Eleanor intervenes again, convincing Franklin to issue an executive order. The heart of the story lies in its rich portrayal of such historical events and figures as the rise of fascism, WWII, the internment of Japanese Americans, and Billie Holiday. This is a potent tale of two crusading women’s accomplishments. Agents: (for Benedict) Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary; (for Murray) Liza Dawson, Liza Dawson Assoc. (June)