The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 This was a selection by someone in my Monterey Book Club, and I'm glad I waited to get it from the library, because it isn't one I would ever want to give away or reread.

That is not to say, though, that there isn't some merit to the book. I liked how it shared the complexities of the way politics and the U.S. government work. Mary McLeod Bethune is a black academician who becomes a civil rights leader and a good friend of Mrs. Roosevelt. There was a lot I didn't know about the Roosevelt family, for example that Eleanor was related to Teddy and was a Roosevelt herself before she married Franklin.

I also knew that there was speculation about her having a lesbian relationship and marital problems, and this book took that theme and ran with it. It got a little tiresome to read about some of these problems. What was interesting to me, though, was the way that Eleanor supported Civil Rights causes and tried her best to persuade her husband to support them as well. I also learned more about the New Deal and its sweeping legislation. 

What is disappointing, though is the total lack of credible citations or sources or bibliography. In the end notes, both authors claim to have read hundreds of articles, etc., yet there isn't one citation. So it's kind of impossible to separate fact from fiction. 

The authors also claim that their own black/white relationship grew as they discussed difficult racial issues as they co-authored this book. However, the racial aspects of the story are not particularly nuanced. They did do a good job, though, of reflecting the oft-made mistake of whites wanting to make decisions for blacks, and of token black appointments with no power or authority. That was felt authentic and unfortunately true. 

One of my neighbors said she disliked the book so much she couldn't even read past the first couple of pages! She doesn't even want to attend the discussion, which makes me wonder what she's all about. She checked in with me to see how I liked it, but I hadn't begun it yet... Now I'm curious to see if it's the sympathetic portrayal of blacks that got to her or what??? It will be interesting to find out!