The Whitney Book Bistro met last week to discuss The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Our discussion seemed understated – much like the book. We liked it, learned a bit, were particularly impressed by the less widely-known Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and found connections to our current time. Some of us considered it slow going, even didactic. We ended our discussion with the importance of making a difference where you are. In between, we revealed how reading touches us in spots.
Our first responder shared how the day after he started reading the book, he received in change an Eleanor Roosevelt quarter. Fate, fortune, coincidence, awareness? He was particularly moved by how Mary McLeod Bethune had to force white people to respect her and her accomplishments by making them use her title and last name. He has decided to make an effort to recognize and acknowledge a man in his church who is also ordained, even though his church’s current practice is more informal.
Another member loved the book. When we discussed the word “corbeled”[i], she mentioned having lived in Washington D.C. and said the buildings reminded her of brownstones in New York. She loved Mary McLeod Bethune: how she had learned the lesson of patience, how she impressed people. Bethune was so brazen! Later in the discussion, as some of us questioned whether or not Roosevelt’s and Bethune’s chapters were too similar, this member felt that it emphasized how similar the two women were, that they were “two peas in a pod.” When we questioned the closeness of the friendship between the two first ladies, she felt that they spoke from the heart and shared secrets that signified true friendship.
That, of course, is the novel. One member who at first seemed to be most impressed by the book was also the one who challenged the book’s accuracy. How can we be confident in what we learn, reading historical fiction as truth, especially when it is evident that timelines, characters, and events have been changed? Nonfiction can be so dry and inaccessible – is it even any more reliable? He had pages of notes, compelled to independent research.
Early on, one of us called out how hard it was to read about the lynchings and how people could attend them en masse; how Roosevelt could not pass the anti-lynching bill. One of us mentioned that he thought the last lynching in the United States was in the 1950s. I researched this for this journal and found from America’s Black Holocaust Museum that “8 suspected lynchings have taken place in Mississippi since 2000.”[ii]Someone asked if the Klu Klux Klan still existed. One member mentioned that she lived in North Carolina in the late 1970s and the Klu Klux Klan was active enough to run a black doctor out of the community. Racism, violence, and hate seem endemic to humanity.
Thoughts voiced during the meeting: Every vote counts; Turning Lincoln’s picture to the wall is a great image; What would Eleanor have done if she hadn’t been married to FDR?; Mary Bethune divorced her unfaithful husband. Why didn’t Eleanor?; Did Roosevelt really die while with his mistress?(He was in a room with several people, including his mistress.)[iii]; White passenger train cars were cleaned multiple times a day while the black passenger train cars were never cleaned; Separate but NOT equal; Most people are bystanders; Hierarchy of needs; None of us fit one ethnic group.
So many topics are discussed at our meetings. I don’t list names for both privacy and accuracy. Mine is just one perspective of what stands out, what I can record, and what I actually hear. What do you remember? What impacted you the most? During the meeting I circulated pictures of the two images from the 1934 Anti-lynching Exhibit[iv] referenced in the book. Sometimes a picture, a comment, a memory is worth a thousand words.
WORDS:
- perambulation: stroll. As one of us defined – “deliberate, slow, everybody look at me walk.”
- corbeled: see first note below
OTHER WORKS DISCUSSED:
- The Personal Librarian (2021) by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Book Club Selection, 2022.
- Hyde Park on the Hudson (2012 Film) starring Bill Murray and Laura Linney
- Conclave (2024 Film) starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow
[i] “Historically, cornices were an integral part of architectural design, adding character and detail to the building’s exterior while also serving practical functions aimed at long term preservation. . . In the context of cornices, corbelled bricks are strategically arranged to form a projecting edge. This not only adds visual interest but also strengthens the structure by distributing the load more gradually. The corbelled design serves to support the overhanging portion of the cornice.” From an article by Infinity Design Solutions: https://www.ids-dmv.com/masonry/architectural-details-in-masonry-facades-corbelled-brick-cornices/
[ii] https://www.abhmuseum.org/8-suspected-lynchings-have-taken-place-in-mississippi-since-2000/
[iii] https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-last-betrayal-how-fdr-died-with-his-lover-p2rrrtt225h
[iv] Maryland Institute Black Archives: “Artworks: A Commentary on Lynching, 1935”
WhitneyBookBistro 
From MM: I read this month’s selection, The First Ladies. I learned many interesting facts about Eleanor and FDR that I didn’t know before. Before reading this book, I knew very little about Mary McLeod Bethune. I was amazed at how tirelessly both women worked throughout their lives to help improve the lives of so many citizens by fighting racial injustice. I enjoyed the book a lot, but it did seem slow at times and dragged a little bit.> I hope you have a good turnout and a lively discussion!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in 2025. 🙂