The Firebrand and the First Lady
Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice
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Narrated by:
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Karen Chilton
About this listen
An important, groundbreaking book - two decades in work - that tells the story of the unlikely but history-changing 28-year bond forged between Pauli Murray (granddaughter of a mulatto slave who, against all odds, as a lesbian Black woman, became a lawyer, civil rights pioneer, Episcopal priest, poet, and activist) and Eleanor Roosevelt (first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1948 and human rights internationalist) that critically shaped Eleanor Roosevelt's, and therefore FDR's, view of race and racism in America.
It was a decades-long friendship - tender, moving, prodding, inspiring - sustained primarily through correspondence and characterized by brutal honesty, mutual admiration, and respect, revealing the generational and political differences each had to overcome in order to support one another's life. Of the two extraordinary women, one was at the center of world power, the other an outsider ostracized for the color of her skin, fighting with heart, soul, and intellect to push the world forward (she did!) and to become the figure for change she knew she was meant to be. The two were alike in many ways: losing both parents as children, being reared by elderly kin; each was a devoted Episcopalian with an abiding compassion for the helpless; each was possessed of boundless energy and fortitude yet susceptible to low spirits and anxiety; each was in a battle against shyness, learning to be outspoken; each was at her best when engaged in meaningful, important work. And each in her own society was sidelined as a woman and determined to upend the centuries-old social constriction....
A riveting portrait that shows how their friendship deepened and endured in the face of enormous social barriers and that makes clear how Pauli Murray, foremother of the modern-day Black and feminist movements, crucially influenced Eleanor Roosevelt's progressive stance on civil and human rights, challenging her to take a stand for justice and freedom ("If some of our statements are bitter these days," Pauli Murray wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt in a postscript from a 1942 letter, "you must remember that truth is our only sword"). This is a book that reveals as well the profound impact of Eleanor Roosevelt's friendship on the shape of Murray's life as an activist, a lawyer, cofounder of the National Organization for Women, the principal strategist in the fight to preserve Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
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Malcolm X
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- By: Manning Marable
- Narrated by: G. Valmont Thomas
- Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Of the great figure in 20th-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age 39. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man.
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invites further reading on Malcolm X
- By connie on 05-14-11
By: Manning Marable
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Mirror to America
- The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin
- By: John Hope Franklin
- Narrated by: John Hope Franklin
- Length: 7 hrs
- Abridged
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John Hope Franklin lived through America's most defining twentieth-century transformation, the dismantling of legally-protected racial segregation. A renowned scholar, he has explored that transformation in its myriad aspects, notably in his 3.5 million-copy bestseller, From Slavery to Freedom. And he was, and remains, an active participant. Intimate, at times revelatory, Mirror to America chronicles Franklin's life and this nation's racial transformation in the 20th century.
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Love story about a history often misunderstood
- By Joy B Joy on 01-23-15
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Counselor
- A Life at the Edge of History
- By: Ted Sorensen
- Narrated by: Ted Sorensen
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Abridged
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Ted Sorensen, John F. Kennedy's closest advisor, recounts in full, for the first time, his experience counseling Kennedy through some of the most dramatic moments in American history. Rising from legislative assistant to speechwriter and advisor, the young lawyer from Nebraska worked closely with JFK on his most important speeches, as well as his book Profiles in Courage. Sorensen encouraged the junior senator's political ambitions and was later named special counsel to the president.
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Rare Insight
- By Robert on 05-10-08
By: Ted Sorensen
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Trailblazer
- A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America
- By: Dorothy Butler Gilliam
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Dorothy Butler Gilliam, whose 50-year-career as a journalist put her in the forefront of the fight for social justice, offers a comprehensive view of racial relations and the media in the US.
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Struggled to finish
- By SL41639 on 04-06-20
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Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
- Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.
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Excellent
- By Judith Princz on 05-15-19
By: Taylor Branch
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Undelivered
- The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History
- By: Jeff Nussbaum
- Narrated by: Adam Gifford, Brian Bowles, Elisa Roth, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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A fascinating insight into notable speeches that were never delivered, showing what could have been if history had gone down a different path. For almost every delivered speech, there exists an undelivered opposite. These "second speeches" provide alternative histories of what could have been if not for schedule changes, changes of heart, or momentous turns of events.
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Recognize that this is a profoundly partisan book
- By Scott on 11-05-23
By: Jeff Nussbaum
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The Bully Pulpit
- Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 36 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press, Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that gave power away to the Democrats.
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Makes You Forget You Live in the 21st Century Good
- By Cynthia on 01-11-14
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Kennedy and King
- The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights
- By: Steven Levingston
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 19 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick. Kennedy and King traces the emergence of two of the 20th century's greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other, and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963. These two men from starkly different worlds profoundly influenced each other's personal development. Kennedy's hesitation on civil rights spurred King to greater acts of courage, and King inspired Kennedy to finally make a moral commitment to equality.
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Voices Too Much
- By drewdpeabody on 10-17-17
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The Gay Revolution
- The Story of the Struggle
- By: Lillian Faderman
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 29 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The Gay Revolution begins in the 1950s, when law classified gays and lesbians as criminals, the psychiatric profession saw them as mentally ill, the churches saw them as sinners, and society victimized them with irrational hatred. Against this dark backdrop, a few brave people began to fight back, paving the way for the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and beyond.
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An outstanding book.
- By David Farley on 10-21-15
By: Lillian Faderman
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Gandhi
- The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948
- By: Ramachandra Guha
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 36 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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This volume opens with Mohandas Gandhi's arrival in Bombay in January 1915 and takes us through his epic struggles over the next three decades. In reconstructing Gandhi's life and work, author Ramachandra Guha has drawn on 60 different archival collections. Using this wealth of material, Guha creates a portrait of Gandhi and of those closest to him that illuminates the complexity inside his thinking, his motives, his actions, and their outcomes as he engaged with every important aspect of social and public life in the India of his time.
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Well researched and heart touching
- By M Umar Khan on 02-01-21
By: Ramachandra Guha
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The Original Black Elite
- Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
- By: Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
- Narrated by: Karen Chilton
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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This cultural biography tells the enthralling story of the high-achieving Black elites who thrived in the nation's capital during Reconstruction. Daniel Murray (1851-1925), an assistant librarian at the Library of Congress, was a prominent member of this glorious class. Murray's life was reflective of those who were well-off at the time. This social circle included African American educators, ministers, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, US senators and representatives, and other government officials.
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Our History
- By Deidre Jackson on 02-23-19
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Eyes on the Prize
- America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965
- By: Juan Williams, Julian Bond - introduction
- Narrated by: Sean Crisden
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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From leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., to lesser-known figures such as Barbara Rose Johns and Jim Zwerg, each man and woman made the decision that something had to be done to stop discrimination. These moving accounts of the first decade of the civil rights movement are a tribute to the people, black and white, who took part in the fight for justice and the struggle they endured.
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This is a must in every household.
- By victor mercer on 07-12-19
By: Juan Williams, and others
What listeners say about The Firebrand and the First Lady
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- researchbiker
- 04-23-16
Exceptional story and piece of history
Eleanor Roosevelt was the draw for me to this book, however I've found a new American hero in Paulie Murray. I had never heard of Murray previously, but I'm stunned by her part in history. It is truly a remarkable story not to be missed.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-22-18
Amazing story of a woman who didn’t back down.
I’d never heard of Paulie Murray until this book. I learned so much about her, ER and the times in which they lived. The information can seem overwhelming at times, however, this book will be a useful reference to social issues of the twentieth century. I highly recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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- CVBullen
- 03-21-16
An amazing life
Much to my dismay I had never heard of Pauli Murray. What a loss to my life education. She is an amazing woman, a symbol of strength and fortitude against all odds, someone everyone should know about and admire.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn Smith
- 08-06-18
History of Time Past - Implications for Future
The lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and Pauli Murray enlighten the power of love in the continuing struggle for civil rights. As our America becomes more partisan, their story shows how critical it is to understand the paths others have gone down and the immense struggles for dignity and justice. Mrs. Roosevelt grew in understanding and gave voice and strength to those fighting racial prejudice before and during World War II. Ms. Murray's poetic writing and courage to change conditions for all minorities [and women] should inform our actions today.
I highly recommend this book for insights into past and ongoing racial & feminist struggles. These women show a way to illustrate injustice and work for change while retaining understanding of both sides of the divide.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Angela Neal
- 07-20-22
incredible and inspirational
amazing story. loved the direct quotes from their letters. really well read. I learned so much!
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- Anonymous User
- 08-07-18
Absolutely loved this book
This was a great read. Great info., well researched. Five starts all around. I highly recommend this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Di
- 03-06-17
glad to have learned so much
A wonderful book, full of important historical events. A tale of courage and faith and hope. I loved this book and want to learn more.
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- Jean
- 02-20-16
Inspiring
I try to read everything I can find about Eleanor Roosevelt. This book surprised me with new information about Eleanor Roosevelt. I am always amazed at the energy and wide interest of ER. I had not heard of Pauli Murray before reading this book. This turns out to be my second book on black history for the February Black History Month.
ER first met Pauli Murray in 1943 when Murray was living at Camp Tera, a New Deal Facility in New York for unemployed women. Eleanor had pressured them to accept black women into the Camps. Pauli and ER carried on a lifetime correspondence from this date onward.
Murray a young African America woman first worked with the NAACP then went on to become an attorney; she became the first African America women Episcopal Priest and was a prominent writer and poet. Murray challenged racial segregation at the University of North Carolina in 1938, and in public transportation in Virginia in 1940. She was a co-founder of the national organization of Women in 1966. She co-authored a brief with Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Reed v Reed.
Bell-Scott tells of the friendship between these two women. The author includes many letters between the two women. The book is meticulously researched and the author had interviews with Murray. The book is easy to read and at times reads like a novel. I gathered from the book that ER’s role was supportive encouragement but at times she did take some action on behalf of Murray. I was amazed at the courage and intelligence of Pauli Murray and would like to learn more about her. I picked up a good trivia question about ER from this book. The question is: Who was Eleanor Roosevelt’s favorite poet? Karen Chilton does a good job narrating the book.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Micheal
- 07-15-24
The great relationship between the women.
A must read. Great history and the power of persuasion. E.R. and Murry are amazing women. Determined to make history.
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- Alex Casanas
- 07-27-18
Two fascinating women and one excellent narrator
This is a very comprehensive look at the relationship between Murray and Roosevelt, though given its thoroughness and the length of the relationship, it naturally drags a bit at times. That is the only major critique I have of the book itself.
The narrator is remarkable however, emulating the accents and cadences of those quoted in the book in a way which isn't cartoonish or distracting, but still makes it easy to keep the speakers straight.
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2 people found this helpful