“Becoming Madam Secretary” by Stephanie Dray chronicles the remarkable life of Frances Perkins, the trailblazing woman who became the first female Cabinet member in U.S. history. The book follows Perkins’s journey through New York society, as she works alongside women’s rights activists and reformers like Eleanor Roosevelt and Florence Kelley. Set in the Great Depression, “Becoming Madam Secretary” highlights the character’s dedication to labor reforms and social justice, as she shapes New Deal policies that transformed American society and secured her role as one of the most influential figures of her time. The author paints a raw portrait of a woman who shattered gender barriers and defied societal expectation in a time of oppression and despair.

Written from Perkins’s perspective, readers get an intimate view into her head. Frances Perkins was a woman who strove for greatness and yearned for knowledge. She confronted marginalization and society’s view of what a woman “should” be, and molded it into something new. To say that Dray’s portrayal of this remarkable woman was inspiring is an understatement.

Throughout the book, Perkins voices racy and unfiltered opinions on New York’s upper crust, describing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s behavior as “unusually boorish” and commenting that “almost no one who met him in those days would’ve dreamed he’d amount to much.” She is headstrong and determined to speak up amidst the silence. Perkins understands human needs and brings her own perspective to the “American Dream”—one in which women are respected and powerful in the same manner as men.

While reading, I felt tethered to Frances, heart and soul. Her character inspired me and taught me that greatness only comes through battle and sacrifice. The book excited me and made me wonder about what great changes would come through our generations—what barriers we would break, and what forces we would defeat.