First Ladies, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 

Eleanor Roosevelt	Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
Franklin Delano Roosevelt – husband Children – Anna, Elliott, James “Brud”, John, Franklin Jr. (died as infant), Franklin Jr.   Sara Delano Roosevelt – mother-in-law	Albert Sr. – son Albert Jr. - grandson
Personal and Professional Life	Professional Life
Todhunter School for Girls – owner and teacher   Val-Kill Industries – reproduction and carpentry training   Val-Kill Cottage   Marion Dickerson and Nan Cook – friends, live at Val-Kill   Lorena Hickok “Hick”   Earl – Secret Service Agent   Newspaper column – “My Day”	Bethune-Cookman College – president   National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs – president   National Council of Negro Women, 1936   McLeod Hospital   Bethune Beach   Bethune Funeral Home - 1936 – run by Albert Sr.   National Youth Administration, Division of Negro Affairs – director, 1936   Walter White – NAACP executive secretary, could pass for white   Column in Pittsburgh Courier – “From Day to Day”
FDR
Lucy Mercer – affair with FDR   Missy LeHand – secretary   Louis Howe – friend and advisor, died 1936   Steve Woodburn – replaced Howe, worked against Eleanor (fictional – see page 373)

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.       At the very beginning of the book, Mary was at a dress shop, a woman introduces herself to Mary as “Mrs. Wallace” but calls Mary by her first name.   Mrs. Wallace has no idea why this offends Mary and is insulted when Mary points this out.   Did this give you an idea of the difficulties and lack of respect Mary faced in general?

2.       Were you surprised at all of the unspoken rules about behavior between whites and blacks?  For example, they couldn’t touch (page 244) or eat together in public.  

3.       Have you ever heard of Mary Bethune before this book?  If not, why do you think that was the case? 

4.       In February 1935 there was an art exhibit, An Art Commentary of Lynching, in New York City.  Why did the art work move people so much when mere words might not have?

5.       At one point, Eleanor Roosevelt told Walter White at the art exhibit, that “Inaction in the face of racism is acquiescence to it” (page 190).   Are there other areas where the same can be said – that doing nothing is the same as approval?

6.       Did this book give you any new insights into Eleanor?  Did you know Eleanor’s mother was so critical and demeaning to her growing up?  How did this form her as an adult?

7.       Franklin’s infidelity is fairly commonly known.  Did you know about Eleanor and Hick and the idea of a “Boston marriage?”

8.       When Mary attended the Gridiron Widow’s dinner, Eleanor said to her, “I hope you won’t be uncomfortable as the only Negro in the room” (page 258).  In fact, the room was full of Negro servers, but Eleanor had never paid attention to them.  Was this her fault or a commentary on the times?  Were there any other incidents that stuck out to you as you were reading?

9.       The two authors invented a lot of the information in the novel, which is billed as Historical Fiction.  They explained their thinking in the Historical Note at the end.   What did you think about their inventions?

10.   Do you think this story could just have effectively been written by a single white author?

11.   The blurb on the front of the book said that the book will “expand your perspective.”  Did it do so?