Let Us March On by Shara Moon brings up the story of a heroine I had never heard of. . .with all the history I have been taught, classes and classes of it. Readings aplenty on this very topic in which I'm interested. . .until Shara Moon put her book on the shelf. . .I learned about Elizabeth "Lizzie" McDuffie.

Her husband, Mac, was FDR's valet, and in time she joined him at the White House starting out as a maid (and always stayed one). Eventually other tasks were added to her plate, not the least of which was campaigning for FDR in her community of color. She was good at it, and genuine as well, making sure to connect those she could with the President, First Lady or other important gatekeepers. She also found time to eventually tell her story, which readers like me are only just now finding as bit by bit the blinders of our narrow, curated histories are being overcome.

Lizzie's story is a good one, and Ms. Moon does a persuasive job of presenting it, setting it properly within the context of FDR's time in office. She allows the obstacles and challenges to show the difficulties faced by people of color at that particular time - and the bitter battle of politics that so many generations later still remains.

*A sincere thank you to Shara Moon, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently. #LetUsMarchOn #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for this e- copy of Let Us March On by Shara Moon in exchange for a honest review. This book highlights the life of Lizzie McDuffie and her husband Mac( Irv) and their experiences working as a maid and valet for Franklin Delano Roosevelt first at Hyde Park and then throughout his presidency!at the White House.At a time in America’s history when Black people!were still being lynched in the South, Lizzie and Mac enjoyed a friendship with the Roosevelts that transcended color. Asked by FDR to campaign on his behave , Lizzie spread FDR’s message to Black communities that might have been unwilling to listen to him . This book offers a personal glimpse into Lizzie’s time in the White House and although a work of historical fiction based on fact ,there are many times when Lizzie and Mac were also met with prejudice.. This book definitely shined a light on a little known person who made a big impact on our country.

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

A very interesting read. I found myself unable to put it down, A wonderful debut novel and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by the author in the future.

Quick and Dirty
-1930 Washington DC setting
-single POV, mostly linear timeline
-early Civil Rights movement
-highly character driven

What a debut! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but it’s safe to say I was surprised in the BEST way by Moon’s first historical fiction book. This is the story of Lizzie McDuffie, a maid in FDR’s White House, who played a pivotal role, alongside her husband, in raising issues faced by the Black community to FDR’s attention. Her connections with Black community leaders and dedication to the many Black Americans who wrote to her helped her shape history. Her campaign support and advocacy helped advance the early civil rights movement, yet no one knows about her! This book is perfect for readers who enjoy a slower, character-driven novel. It reads more like a fictionalized memoir, spending much of the time in the main character’s head as she recollects events and exchanges. My favorite part of this book was 1) getting to know this unsung hero and 2) getting to see one of my political heroes in a new light. I’ve long admired FDR for the many great things he did to advance social welfare, so getting to know another side of him was interesting, especially since it wasn’t always what I expected. I appreciated Moon’s honest portrayal of his efforts, and lack thereof, to support the Black community during his tenure. Anyone who enjoys learning about American history and politics will enjoy this one!

I was very excited for this book and overall I did enjoy it. But there were times when the book read more like a social studies textbook than a story, especially as the second world war started.

I hadn't heard of Lizzie McDuffy prior to reading Let Us March On. She was a maid in FDRs White House and her husband was his valet, which gave her access and unofficially she became his secretary on colored people's affairs.

It was interesting to read about Lizzie and I liked seeing this angle of FDR. I wanted more on the author's note, the ARC I received didn't have it yet and I wanted to know more about the fact from fiction that often comes up in biographical fiction.

Thanks to William Morrow for my advanced copy. This came out February 4th.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow Paperbacks and Shara Moon for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Let Us March On. Elizabeth 'Lizzie' McDuffie was a White House maid during the FDR administration and married to the President's valet, Mac. The story is told in Lizzie's voice and follows the challenges, failures and triumphs of being a wife, White House employee and civil rights activist during the FDR years. As a respected member of the staff, she had the unique opportunity to share the plight of the American Negro with the President and Mrs. Roosevelt. Although many did not feel she did enough to advance the equality for her people, she most certainly worked tirelessly to keep the topic at the forefront during the President's tenure. This is a wonderful historical fiction novel on little known champion for the Civil Rights movement. I highly recommend it.

Lizzie McDuffie, a Black, college educated maid in FDR's White House becomes an unlikely civil rights hero, using her relationship with the president and first lady to the advantage of those whose voices could not be heard.

My Review I thought this novel was just fine.  I had just read Marie Benedict's The First Ladies which is also about civil rights leaders in FDR's White House and I may have just overdid the theme in a short period of time.  I certainly thought the character and her story was interesting but I found the book slow and I had some quibbles with it.  If you want to learn some unknown US history this is a good resource, but I may have just not been in the mood.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow for the ARC to review

LET US MARCH ON by Shara Moon is a debut work of historical fiction centered on the FDR White House. The main narrator is Lizzie McDuffie, a maid who was married to FDR's valet, Irvin "Mac" McDuffie. Their decades long association with the Roosevelts was clearly quite close, although it was a bit hard using modern eyes and biases to accept the idea of consulting one's maid on federal policy or asking that person to take an active role like the one Lizzie held in presidential campaigns. Moon wrote that Lizzie referred to herself as "Secretary-On-Colored-People's-Affairs" and Moon repeatedly stressed Lizzie's private conversations with the President regarding overtures to organizations like the NAACP and its leaders. This was a fascinating look at "influence" as the civil rights movement was coalescing, but it was disappointing that the preview did not contain a list of sources or any commentary from the author.

This new historical fiction novel tells the story of Lizzie McDuffie, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt‘s personal maid and unofficial secretary. The book tells us about her devotion to the president, their close relationship, and her activism for the rights of Black Americans as she pushes FDR to do more for their cause.

This book seems right up my alley. I love a historical fiction novel based on the lives of real historical figures, so I was thrilled to get a copy of this one. However, the book ended up reading more like a diary than a compelling novel. The writing felt juvenile to me and it felt more like a biographical log of events in Lizzie’s life than a novel with a true story arc.

I did enjoy learning about Lizzie McDuffie’s life, and if you’re interested in historical fiction novels about race relations during the FDR era, I’d recommend The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate or The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. .

this is the true story of Lizzie McDuffie, a black maid in Franklin Rosevelt's white house, she proclaims herself Secretary on colored people's affairs. interesting book,.

Let Us March On by Shara Moon was. a very quick, enjoyable and informative read for me. As someone who never formally studied American History, I learned a lot and appreciated the simple prose and page-turning skills of this debut author. I will definitely read her next book. Lizzie is rightly the star of this novel and she captured my heart from the start. I feel like the author did a great job making her a very real life person. With more experience, I know that the author will be more comfortable with incorporating historical sources and pacing the plot. I felt a bit cheated with the quick ending but I'm sure there were reasons I know nothing about why the last years of the presidency were given so little space. Otherwise, I highly recommend this wonderful story of a real life hero. Thanks for the review copy.

Well this book really wasn’t for me. This was very heavily political. Yes, it focused on FDR and black rights and a lot of different things like that; however, the story itself just wasn’t for me. If I had actually read what the book was about before going into it, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. There were a few times that I actually got really into the story, and I did find this book to be informative. The story itself though felt more like it was nonfiction rather than fiction. I finished and still can’t tell you if it was truly a nonfiction because it felt like a recalling of something that actually happened with so many real people and things that did happen in real life. I’m convinced that the main character was an actual person and did and said everything that was in this book. I might have connected to the character a little more if it would have read more like a historical fictional novel, but this one felt too true for me. Which I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all, it just wasn’t for me. I wanted a little more character depth rather than just being told things. I wanted inside her head more and to see more emotion. I wanted this to have more experiences for the character rather than a fast paced of what happened in her life. I do think that some people would really enjoy this book; however, I just wasn’t the right person for it.

Not only is this the author's debut historical novel, it's about a Hidden Figure, A person in Black History I had never heard of before. This was a good story. Very informative and enlightening. And you could tell the amount of research that was placed in the story was just the right amount. She faced a lot of pressure from the community, like many did during that time frame, and she also went through a lot. It was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to be able to read more from this author in the future.

Let Us March On by Shara Moon is the fictionalized account of the life of Lizzie McDuffie, a Black maid serving in the White House during all four of FDR's presidential terms. McDuffie grew up in Atlanta as an avid reader and gifted orator. When her husband went to work for Roosevelt as his chauffeur and eventually followed him to the White House, Lizzie went along, too. She quickly became close to the President and was able to share with him the concerns of her fellow Black citizens. She played a key role in the beginning of the civil rights movement. I enjoyed learning about Mrs McDuffie, FDR, and the issues facing the American people, especially Black Americans, at that time.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for a review copy of this title.

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.

This felt like a good book to read during February. It was an interesting insight into FDR’s presidencies & what that looked like for social progress. I mostly enjoyed the POV & the way it was written, the voice slipped for me sometimes (in a literary sense). While it was hard to hear how pervasive lynchings were in the 1930s, it was harder to stomach the fact that it still happens in different ways. This book reminded me why it is so important to fight for justice here & why I am so grateful the Lord has justice ultimately always.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This could have been a book that led to discussions about racism, MLK Jr., and a host of other topics but it was too slow paced to allow the reader to be interested. The main character was preachy and unlikeable. This book was not for me.

I appreciated the point of view of the story - a black maid who served during FDR's time in the White House. However, there were parts that were fairly dry and then parts that were really interesting. I would have liked the end to tie back to the prologue.