The book club of the Democrats of Rossmoor will read Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Day at 3:00pm on November 2, 2026, in MPR 1. The discussion will be moderated by Katha Hartley.
Of this book the publisher writes: “New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins.
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.
When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.
But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.
Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.”
Much of what we enjoy today—social security, the 40 hours work week, parental leave and more were suggested and fought for by the first Secretary of Labor and the first woman in the cabinet.
The book is in paperback for $11.77 from Amazon for Prime members. Used copies are from $3.95. The book can be ordered online from the Contra Costa County library system and delivered and returned to the lockers in Gateway to residents with a library card.
It is not required to be a member of the club to attend the book club but membership may be made on line at DemocratsofRossmoor.org or you may join at meetings or at the booth on Fridays in Peacock plaza. Membership is good for a year from the date of joining.