The First Ladies

by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

This fascinating novel describes the unlikely but enduring friendship between civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The two were initially drawn together by their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education but soon became close personal friends. Benedict and Murray present the decades-long friendship in alternating chapters, written from each woman’s point of view. Set against the events of post-World War I through World War II, we see the two passionate and politically skilled women fight against racism and segregation and help build the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.