The Burlington Social Club

May book club! We had a great time last month at Namaste. This month we are reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray.

She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it…

Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.

When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.

But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.

Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.

We will discuss our weeks and catch up and then discuss the book. If you have any recommendations for the June Book, post them in the comments below.

Let's meetup for conversation and tunes at Specs!

On Friday nights Specs holds a cocktail pop up in the cafe from 6-9 with 15-20 classic cocktails to choose from + their whole Coffee Tea and Non-alcoholic menu from the cafe is available. There will either be a DJ or music playing.

I will post where I am or what I'm wearing in the comments so you can find me. I'm hard to miss.

There is a parking garage by Waterworks if you can't find street parking.