{"product_id":"the-woman-who-knew-everyone-the-power-of-perle-mesta-washingtons-most-famous-hostess-9781538751244","title":"The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington's Most Famous Hostess","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author, an revealing biography of feminist Perle Mesta-a beloved socialite, political hostess, and United States envoy.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Perle Mesta was a force to be reckoned with. In her heyday, this wealthy globe-trotting Washington widow was one of the most famous women in America, garnering as much media attention as Eleanor Roosevelt. Renowned for her world-class parties featuring politicians and celebrities, she was very close to three presidents-Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. Truman named her as the first female envoy to Luxembourg, which inspired the hit musical based on Perle's life - \"Call Me Madam\" - which starred Ethel Merman, ran on Broadway for two years and later became a movie. A pioneering supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, she was a prodigious Democratic fundraiser and rescued Harry Truman's financially flailing 1948 campaign. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this intensely researched biography, author Meryl Gordon chronicles Perle's lavish life and society adventures in Newport, Manhattan and Washington, while highlighting her important, but nearly forgotten contribution to American politics and the feminist movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Grand Central Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/07\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781538751244\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 496\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.25h x 6.25w x 1.53d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2024 pg. 12\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Meryl Gordon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44792612159669,"sku":"9781538751244","price":28.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_4b934f43-e4ed-4c6b-a483-70552582b5b2.jpg?v=1731426800","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-woman-who-knew-everyone-the-power-of-perle-mesta-washingtons-most-famous-hostess-9781538751244","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}