Description
The Instant New York Times Bestseller!
A novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune—an unlikely friendship that changed the world, from the New York Times bestselling authors of the Good Morning America Book Club pick The Personal Librarian.
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.
About the Author
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms. She found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues.She embarked on this mission with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein's first wife, a physicist herself, and followed that with the USA Today bestselling CARNEGIE'S MAID. Up next was the New York Times bestseller and Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the story of the brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr. Then came LADY CLEMENTINE, the internationally bestselling story of Clementine Churchill. Her next novel, the instant New York Times bestselling THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, focused on the real life disappearance of Agatha Christie. The bestselling books HER HIDDEN GENIUS, which reveals Rosalind Franklin's discovery of the structure of DNA, and THE MITFORD AFFAIR, which explores the role that history's most notorious sisters played in the rise of World War II, were published in quick succession.Her first co-written novel with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, shares the legacy of the brilliant Belle da Costa Greene, J.P. Morgan's librarian, and became an instant New York Times bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Most recently, she published another co-written novel with Victoria Christopher Murray, the instant New York Times bestseller and Target Book of the Year THE FIRST LADIES, which explores the world changing friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune.In February of 2025, Marie will publish her newest novel, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, which is a thrilling story of Agatha Christie’s legendary rival, mystery writer Dorothy Sayers, the race to solve a real-life murder, and the power of friendship among women.Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare. Marie's novels have been translated into twenty-nine languages.
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