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.

I am normally a huge fan of historical fiction….especially when it relates to an actual person who lived some of the event. Although I found Lizzie and her friendship with FDR to have its delightful moments, I felt the internal monologue which seemed to get repetitive took away from the story for me.
Although Lizzie said how much she loved her husband there was very little evidence of that in the book. I honestly forgot about him about 3 quarters of the way through and it felt like she had as well.
Overall it was a decent read to learn some interesting things about a horrible time in history. 3/5 stars for me as it is not something I would read again.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Far more than just a book, Let Us March on beckons us to take action, challenging us as readers to reflect on our own roles in the quest for equality and justice. The narrative demonstrates how we are truly better together. It leaves you with a renewed sense of hope in what can be. Until then, let us march on…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a fantastic historical fiction novel. I really enjoyed learning about Miss Lizzie McDuffie, who worked very closely with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction novels, especially about the lesser known historical figures who really should be more well-known.

I was not aware of who Lizzie McDuffie was or the role she played in the FDR White House until I read this book. She was a maid and a somewhat reluctant Civil Rights activist. Her husband, Irvin ‘Mac’ McDuffie, was Franklin Roosevelt’s valet. They were employed there for 12 years.

I thought this was such an interesting book and I loved how she had the ability to advocate for people of color in big and small ways through her connection to the president. I enjoyed learning from this story.

[Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow Books, and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy of this https://www.instagram.com/apuzzledbooklover/book in exchange for an honest review.]

I found this book to be fascinating. I had never heard of this woman, however I felt this author did an excellent job bringing her to life. I really admired the strength and courage of this woman who put herself out there in so many brave ways during the time period she was in. She also brought FDR to life as well. I hope that this author continues to write. I want more. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.