I enjoy historical fiction and all the rabbit holes I find myself down on the internet while reading this genre of books. I knew little about the Roosevelt administration beyond what I learned back in high school, so I thought this book, “Let Us March On” by Shara Moon, would be a good entry point. It is a soft landing into a part of American history via a black domestic servant in the White House, Lizzie McDuffie. She is the main character and narrator of the story.
Lizzie starts working in the White House as a maid but then begins an unofficial role as a secretary to FDR in matters that were affecting the Black American citizens. The author did a good job balancing the story about Lizzie and her husband who is the valet for FDR and incorporating a timeline of historical events in and outside the country. I found myself looking on the internet to find out if some of the events that I hadn’t heard about were true. The author’s use of the letters that Lizzie received from Black citizens to illuminate the injustices that the Black community faced on a daily basis. Moon also did a good job contrasting the experiences Lizzie and her husband while sheltered in the White House from everyday Black Americans. Lizzie was an unsung hero that finally gets her flowers via this historical fiction story.
I also loved all the quotes I was able to glean from this book. Like this one from Voltaire: “The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”
Overall, I found both the story and characters interesting. However, I did find the pacing a bit slow and in some areas there was a bit of repetition, but overall a good story and one that is important to learn.
