The First Ladies

By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Narrated by: Robin Miles, Tavia Gilbert

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Explores the extraordinary legacies of these two historical figures, while also bringing us into their personal lives and their deep friendship. Benedict and Murray bring their knack for historical fiction to a story of the women's unlikely alliance and the ways their bond and efforts forged the beginnings of the modern civil rights movement.”—Entertainment Weekly

“It's an utter joy to watch civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt forge a partnership that changed America: plotting over teacups, negotiating tricky conversations about race and privilege, celebrating their triumphs, and never giving up. The First Ladies is a wonder!"—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

"While the depictions of the women's activism are inspiring, the novel really shines in the behind-the-scenes moments when the women support each other during personal struggles with marital infidelity, illness, and loss. This impeccably researched, relevant novel is a must-read and destined to be a book-club favorite."—Booklist (starred review)

Great collaboration of authors!! Amazing story!!

The collaboration I didn’t know I needed!!

Pre ordered this book and loved every single minute of it! Written so perfectly!
Loved learning so much more about Eleanor Roosevelt and learned so much of the first woman of the struggle. This was my first time learning about such amazing & inspiring women Mrs.Bethune.
I enjoyed listening to the epilogue of both authors as well.
Such an amazing collaboration, and the narrators were on point as well!
Definitely a must read and just downloaded “The personal librarian”.
I hope there is more co authored novels in the future!

Interesting and Insightful

This was a very interesting story. I leaned a lot about both Mary and Eleanor in this book and it makes me want to read more books about both ladies.

Wonderful book

I found the book of Eleanor and Mary a book that I learned from. I learned their history even though there were fictional parts that I wouldn’t guess were mixed in with the truth. Their friendship was real and beautiful. They both did so much for the people that were squashed down. It was a pleasure to learn about them.

Time for conversation

History at its best. Well told. Lessons for all to practice and pass on. Looking forward to Victorias and Marie’s next great discovery.

the birth of the civil rights movement

This is my favorite book of 2023. Yes, I listened to several excellent thriller series. But this book spoke to me about the early days of the civil rights movement. I had no idea that Eleanor Roosevelt was so influential in fueling the demand for equal rights, and I'd never heard of Mary Bethune, considered by many to be the First Lady of the early civil rights movement. The research here is meticulous, transformed into a well-paced novel. The passages about the lynching of black men aren't easy to hear. But they're a necessary part of the history of blacks in America. We need to know about them. One of the most startling, poignant passages involved Mary and Eleanor shaking hands in public. I didn't realize that whites and blacks were forbidden to touch each other in 1940s America. Can't recommend this book enough.

It is unbelievable that it was so difficult to pass legislation to make linching illegal.

I like historical fiction or ready history about the most desperate times. We can learn a lot and hope to never repeat these mistakes

Extraordinary women

Loved the story of how Elenor and Mary formed a close friendship and the power they had when working together.

Fantastic story...in the book and of the authors

I enjoyed the way this book was written. Fact and fiction work great together.

Friendship at its finest

I recommend that everyone reads this book as it gives insight into the past and present issues of race. I enjoy learning about what I am ignorant about. I think it was an excellent perspective hearing the topics discussed through friends. I wish more books allowed tough conversations to be explored and discussed in this manner.

interesting

When I first looked at the title of this book, I thought it was going to contain a collection of short stories about the various First Ladies. Instead, it is a story of only one First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, and her friendship with the famous black educator, Mary McLeod Bethune. Together they fought to have black men and women appointed to various government positions in the Roosevelt administration and do away with segregation in the military. The other key cause they fought for was the passing of legislation to give the federal government jurisdiction over the lynching of black people. They were successful in the first goal but unsuccessful in the second two. So they started a campaign of information against lynching. It is interesting that Eleanor a white woman Democrat was a friend of a black woman Republican. The story was interesting. I was aware of most of the historical facts but its presentation as a story of historical fiction made it very readable. My only complaint was I felt the story dragged at times.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fourteen hours and thirty-three minutes. Robin Miles and Tavia Gilbert do a good job narrating the book.