I really enjoyed reading this historical fiction about the life of Lizzie and her contributions to President Roosevelt. This story is what I call an informative historical fiction. Although there is no substantial plot, it is interesting and inspiring. These stories of unknown Black peoples who have done tremendous work behind the scenes to advance the lives of Black Americans must continue to be told. The writing was done well and engages the reader. It’s apparent that the author’s research was thorough by the way the characters were well developed.

Thank you @netgalley and publishers for a chance to read and review

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy!

Shara Moon's debut novel Let Us March On had me hooked! This book is written about Lizzie McDuffie and her time at a maid in the White House under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I found this to be well researched and put together. One of my favorite things about this book is although it's written as historical fiction it's read more like a memoir. I enjoyed getting to learn about Lizzie, go through her time at the White House, and see how she grew as a person. I can't wait to see what else Shara Moon has in store for readers!

I appreciated the research that went into this book. I respect the author for bringing to light the life of Elizabeth McDuffie, a woman whose story might have otherwise remained unknown. The book sparked a genuine curiosity in me to learn more about Lizzie, Eleanor Roosevelt, and several key events that took place during Roosevelt’s presidency.

While I enjoyed the memoir aspect, it often felt a bit flat. It read more like an article summarizing her life than a personal recounting from someone who lived it. I was left wanting more. More emotion, more insight, more of Lizzie's voice. The narrative lacked depth in key areas, especially when it came to Lizzie’s inner world. I wanted to know how she felt, what she thought, and how she processed the complex moments of her life. I wanted more insights to her marriage with Mac.

There were a lot of "name-drops" throughout, which added intrigue, but they were often presented without much context or follow-up. It felt like being handed crumbs of a decadent cake without getting to enjoy the full slice. I wanted more substance behind the mentions, more stories, more feeling, more reflection.

Overall, I admire the effort and the importance of this story being told, but I found myself wishing for a deeper, more intimate connection with Lizzie herself.

Mac and Elizabeth McDuffie serve President FDR in the White House as valet and maid during FDRs four terms as president. They promote civil rights for blacks and are able to influence FDR to help with saving black lives. It is good historical information of that time seen from the Negro perspective. The book is too repetitive and doesn’t have enough plot.

An accurate perspective that allows for a good view into a pivotal American era.4/5 stars
Overall this book hit it right on the head

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.