Christopher C. Gorham presents "The Confidante"

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ABOUT THE BOOK

For readers of A Woman of No Importance and Eleanor: A Life, the first-ever biography of Anna Marie Rosenberg, the Hungarian Jewish immigrant who became FDR’s closest advisor during World War II and whose influence on American history, from the New Deal to the Cold War and beyond, has never before been told.

A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist

As Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s special envoy to Europe in World War II she went where the president couldn’t go. She was among the first Allied women to enter a liberated concentration camp, and stood in the Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s mountain retreat, days after its capture. Though Anna Rosenberg emerged from modest immigrant beginnings with only a high school education, she was the real power behind national policies critical to America winning the war and prospering afterward. Astonishingly, her story remains largely forgotten.

Rosenberg advanced from a career in public relations in 1920s Manhattan to become FDR’s unofficial adviser, and soon wielded enormous influence—no less potent for being subtle. Roosevelt dubbed her “my Mrs. Fix-It.” Her extraordinary career continued after his death as she fought tirelessly for causes from racial integration to women’s equality to national health care.

The Confidante explores who gets to be at the forefront of history, and why. Rosenberg’s position as “the power behind,” combined with her status as an immigrant and a Jewish woman, served to diminish her importance. In this inspiring, impeccably researched, and revelatory book, Christopher C. Gorham at last affords Anna Rosenberg the recognition she so richly deserves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher C. Gorham is a lawyer, educator, and acclaimed author of THE CONFIDANTE (a Goodreads Choice Award finalist in History/Biography) and MATISSE AT WAR (Citadel, Sept. 30, 2025). His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Literary Hub, Paper Brigade, and elsewhere. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, literary events, classrooms, and book club gatherings around the country.

He lives in Boston, and can be found at ChristopherCGorham.com and on social media @christophercgorham.

(Photo credit: Joshua Pickering)

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Lisa Hughes is an award-winning journalist and news anchor at WBZ-TV. She joined the station in June 2000 from CBS Newspath, the CBS-TV Station Group’s satellite news service in Washington, D.C. Lisa anchors the 5, 6, and 11 o’clock weekday newscasts with David Wade.

In 25 years at WBZ, she has covered every major news event in New England.

Her many honors include a 2014 Columbia DuPont Award and a 2013 George Foster Peabody Award for WBZ-TV’s team coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. She won the New England Emmy Award for Best Anchor in 2014, 2016, and 2023 and earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for reporting. In 2020, Boston Magazine named her one of Boston’s 100 Most Influential People and Best TV Personality.

Lisa is also involved in a number of community organizations and charities. She serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and on the Advisory Board of the Pan-Mass Challenge. She is a 15-year PMC rider who also volunteers her time with Project 351, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester, and the DAV 5K.

Born in Moscow, Idaho, Lisa earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Washington.

She lives in Wellesley with her husband, Mike, their daughter, Riley, and son, Dylan.

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