From Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, the New York Times bestselling authors of The Personal Librarian, comes The First Ladies, a novel about the extraordinary partnership between civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, an unlikely friendship that changed the world.

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. Eleanor Roosevelt, awestruck by Mary’s work, is 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 develop a deep and enduring friendship that helps form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.

Benedict is a lawyer with more than a decade of experience as a litigator. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous books, including The Only Woman in the Room and Carnegie’s Maid.

Murray is an acclaimed author with more than one million books in print. She has written more than 20 novels, including Stand Your Ground, an NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Fiction and a Library Journal Best Book of the Year.