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Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker
The never-before-told story of the woman who moved mountains for medical research and human health. And a 2024 Florida Book Award Winner!
“I am opposed to heart disease and cancer the way one is opposed to sin.” With that as her battle cry, health activist and philanthropist Mary Woodard Lasker had a singular saving lives by increasing medical research. Together with her husband, advertising genius Albert, they created the Lasker Foundation, bestowing the Lasker Awards. Known as the “American Nobels,” these became the most prestigious research awards in America. The Laskers’ next step was transforming the sleepy and ineffectual American Society for the Control of Cancer, reinventing it as the American Cancer Society in 1944.
But the real increase in medical research funding occurred when Mary discovered a revolutionary the federal government. “I’m just a catalytic agent,” she would insist, while she tirelessly lobbied Congress and presidents alike. She played a major role in expanding the National Institutes of Health from a single entity to the largest research facility in the world. A feminist who used her femininity wisely, Mary’s ultimate victory was bringing together two political adversaries to help launch the original cancer the 1971 National Cancer Act.
This deeply researched biography paints the portrait of a woman who was savvy, steely, and deliberate. Mary Lasker courageously positioned herself at the crossroads of politics, science, and medicine. At a time when women in re- search laboratories and the halls of Congress were anomalies, she smashed stereotypes in the fashion of Jeannette Rankin, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Shirley Chisholm. As eloquently described in this absorbing history, the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies was well- fueled by its fearless and feisty crusader, Mary Lasker.
“I am opposed to heart disease and cancer the way one is opposed to sin.” With that as her battle cry, health activist and philanthropist Mary Woodard Lasker had a singular saving lives by increasing medical research. Together with her husband, advertising genius Albert, they created the Lasker Foundation, bestowing the Lasker Awards. Known as the “American Nobels,” these became the most prestigious research awards in America. The Laskers’ next step was transforming the sleepy and ineffectual American Society for the Control of Cancer, reinventing it as the American Cancer Society in 1944.
But the real increase in medical research funding occurred when Mary discovered a revolutionary the federal government. “I’m just a catalytic agent,” she would insist, while she tirelessly lobbied Congress and presidents alike. She played a major role in expanding the National Institutes of Health from a single entity to the largest research facility in the world. A feminist who used her femininity wisely, Mary’s ultimate victory was bringing together two political adversaries to help launch the original cancer the 1971 National Cancer Act.
This deeply researched biography paints the portrait of a woman who was savvy, steely, and deliberate. Mary Lasker courageously positioned herself at the crossroads of politics, science, and medicine. At a time when women in re- search laboratories and the halls of Congress were anomalies, she smashed stereotypes in the fashion of Jeannette Rankin, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Shirley Chisholm. As eloquently described in this absorbing history, the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies was well- fueled by its fearless and feisty crusader, Mary Lasker.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published September 19, 2023
20 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Judith L. Pearson
8 books33 followersBest-selling and award winning author Judy Pearson’s career began in a tree: a wonderful old maple in her parents’ backyard, with a perfect branch on which to sit and write. Now hundreds of thousands of words later, this Michigan native’s voice is still inspiring!
Judy is a graduate of Michigan State University and has newspaper, magazine, online articles, and five books to her credit. She is also a much-requested presenter and speaker. But her favorite title is “story teller,” as exemplified by the biographies she writes.
The late Senator John McCain called her BELLY OF THE BEAST “a searing tribute.” It is the story of a naval corpsman who became one of the first POWs of the Imperial Japanese during WWII, endured a “hell ship” journey, and was one of the last to return home.
Her second biography, WOLVES AT THE DOOR: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST FEMALE SPY, is the story of Virginia Hall. She was the architect of the resistance in central France during WWII. Most unbelievable is that Virginia lost her left leg in a pre-war hunting accident. The book is not only a best-seller, but has been purchased for a movie.
Judy’s next book, FROM SHADOWS TO LIFE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP MOVEMENT, is a group biography following five founders and leaders of the movement. These medical heroes brought cancer survivorship to national consciousness. The book won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award.
CRUSADE TO HEAL AMERICA: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF MARY LASKER - a 2024 Florida Book Award winner - is an absorbing history details the work of fearless and feisty Mary Lasker. Mary led the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies, and was responsible for building governmental financial support for medical research. Her coup de grace was the National Cancer Act, born in the midst of political intrigue and fueling billions of dollars into research.
Judy's most recent publication is RADICAL SISTERS, which follows Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder, a the dawn of the breast cancer movement. These trail-blazing advocates never met, but boldly used their breast cancer diagnoses to radically change the social and medical landscape.
Judy was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women and a Phoenix Healthcare Hero, and was a finalist for the Arizona Healthcare Leadership Award.
Judy is a graduate of Michigan State University and has newspaper, magazine, online articles, and five books to her credit. She is also a much-requested presenter and speaker. But her favorite title is “story teller,” as exemplified by the biographies she writes.
The late Senator John McCain called her BELLY OF THE BEAST “a searing tribute.” It is the story of a naval corpsman who became one of the first POWs of the Imperial Japanese during WWII, endured a “hell ship” journey, and was one of the last to return home.
Her second biography, WOLVES AT THE DOOR: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST FEMALE SPY, is the story of Virginia Hall. She was the architect of the resistance in central France during WWII. Most unbelievable is that Virginia lost her left leg in a pre-war hunting accident. The book is not only a best-seller, but has been purchased for a movie.
Judy’s next book, FROM SHADOWS TO LIFE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP MOVEMENT, is a group biography following five founders and leaders of the movement. These medical heroes brought cancer survivorship to national consciousness. The book won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award.
CRUSADE TO HEAL AMERICA: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF MARY LASKER - a 2024 Florida Book Award winner - is an absorbing history details the work of fearless and feisty Mary Lasker. Mary led the country’s march to conquer humanity’s most feared maladies, and was responsible for building governmental financial support for medical research. Her coup de grace was the National Cancer Act, born in the midst of political intrigue and fueling billions of dollars into research.
Judy's most recent publication is RADICAL SISTERS, which follows Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder, a the dawn of the breast cancer movement. These trail-blazing advocates never met, but boldly used their breast cancer diagnoses to radically change the social and medical landscape.
Judy was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women and a Phoenix Healthcare Hero, and was a finalist for the Arizona Healthcare Leadership Award.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 18, 2024
I really do not feel good about this review. I am struggling. I have many thoughts running through my head and I know what I felt as I read this book but I'm not happy about it.
Here's the thing. Judith Pearson is a very good writer. I can see it on the page. She has taken a monumental life and written a coherent, well researched story. Mary Lasker was an extremely laudable human being. She was fabulously rich and used that money and power to tackle cancer and other diseases. The problem I had with Pearson's Crusade to Heal America is that it does not add up to the sum of its parts.
One major reason I don't think I could really connect with Lasker is because of Pearson's choice on sources. The author's note points out that Pearson relied heavily on Lasker's own documentation. Primary sources are great! However, leaning on these particular sources seem to have drained the emotions out of Lasker's life. She comes to the page as a finished product and seems nearly infallible. She's smart, driven, rich, and has a great fashion sense. She can throw a party. So where is the conflict? Ultimately, it means the conflict is entirely within the political arena and that is just not interesting enough by itself. In contrast, Pearson discusses how Lasker's husband, Albert, was probably bipolar and one day after quasi-therapy decided to jettison things in life holding him back. This is an interesting point of character development and shows something inherent in him that needs to be overcome.
Mary Lasker, however, is not given this insight. Pearson points out she often wanted to hide in the background, was not a good speechwriter, and some people could find her overwhelming. This is the extent of criticism against her in the narrative. She lost people to disease and she wants to fight against it, but her inner dialogue is missing and there is no counterbalance to her where someone could point out her flaws and how she overcame them. What's left is a lot of politics.
I just couldn't become engaged with this story. Pearson is a very good writer overall and Lasker is someone who deserves to be remembered for her efforts. Unfortunately, that missing element just left me unable to love it.
(This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.)
Here's the thing. Judith Pearson is a very good writer. I can see it on the page. She has taken a monumental life and written a coherent, well researched story. Mary Lasker was an extremely laudable human being. She was fabulously rich and used that money and power to tackle cancer and other diseases. The problem I had with Pearson's Crusade to Heal America is that it does not add up to the sum of its parts.
One major reason I don't think I could really connect with Lasker is because of Pearson's choice on sources. The author's note points out that Pearson relied heavily on Lasker's own documentation. Primary sources are great! However, leaning on these particular sources seem to have drained the emotions out of Lasker's life. She comes to the page as a finished product and seems nearly infallible. She's smart, driven, rich, and has a great fashion sense. She can throw a party. So where is the conflict? Ultimately, it means the conflict is entirely within the political arena and that is just not interesting enough by itself. In contrast, Pearson discusses how Lasker's husband, Albert, was probably bipolar and one day after quasi-therapy decided to jettison things in life holding him back. This is an interesting point of character development and shows something inherent in him that needs to be overcome.
Mary Lasker, however, is not given this insight. Pearson points out she often wanted to hide in the background, was not a good speechwriter, and some people could find her overwhelming. This is the extent of criticism against her in the narrative. She lost people to disease and she wants to fight against it, but her inner dialogue is missing and there is no counterbalance to her where someone could point out her flaws and how she overcame them. What's left is a lot of politics.
I just couldn't become engaged with this story. Pearson is a very good writer overall and Lasker is someone who deserves to be remembered for her efforts. Unfortunately, that missing element just left me unable to love it.
(This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.)
August 19, 2023
I loved this book. I had heard of the Lasker Prize but I had no idea of the story behind it. Author Judith L. Pearson does a masterful job of telling that story and so much more. The biographical information was excellent with the perfect level of detail. The language was conversational and handled with great sensitivity. I also loved the inside look at politics and lobbying. The book was impossible to put down. Thank you to Netgalley and Mayo Clinic Press for the digital review copy.
November 3, 2023
This is an excellent book about a necessary woman from modern American history. Mary Lasker did more for America's health and research infrastructure than any other American. The system we take for granted today was built bit by bit in large part through the efforts of Lasker. Judy Pearson's new book is a revelation of the power of engaged and forward-thinking citizenship--a must-read for us all.
November 12, 2023
I had heard of the Lasker Foundation but knew nothing of the story of Mary Lasker until reading this book. What an incredible unsung hero! Thanks to her efforts, we now have federal funding for cancer as well as other diseases. For a long time, the stigma was so strong about cancer, that doctors were afraid to test for it because they felt there was no cure, so thought it would be better for patients not to even know they had it. This remarkable woman was persistent and faced incredible opposition, including from the American Medical Association. She was so well-connected, she met with presidents and first ladies, congress people, and even had Ann Landers write a column for the need for funding for cancer research. Lasker created the concepts of citizen lobbyists and expert testimony - which are still used today. The author lovingly tells Lasker's story (including all of her fancy trips to shop for art and fashion) which made this a very interesting story. I am so glad we finally learn about this hero.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mayo Clinic Press for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mayo Clinic Press for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
December 28, 2023
3.5
Judy Pearson finds the most fascinating, unknown stories to tell, and she tells them so well. This story of Mary Lasker is fascinating.
Mary Lasker was a woman of the Roaring Twenties. She embraced social change, women’s voting rights and reveled in the relative freedom of the times. She was also a passionate and adventurous person. Her passions took her from Wisconsin to NYC where her interest in art led her to arrange the first Chagall exhibit in the US.
During the depression she became an entrepreneur, creating celebrity endorsed dress patterns so that women could afford to dress like woman such as Joan Crawford.
When Mary married Albert Lasker, an advertising pioneer, it was the love affair of the century. Although the two were twenty years apart, age was no obstacle. Mary and Albert joined forces to rebrand the American Society for the Control of Cancer to the American Cancer Society. Between his advertising genius and her networking and social abilities, this couple would change the understanding of cancer.
Judy Pearson brings this incredible story to life like no one else can. I highly recommend this book.
Judy Pearson finds the most fascinating, unknown stories to tell, and she tells them so well. This story of Mary Lasker is fascinating.
Mary Lasker was a woman of the Roaring Twenties. She embraced social change, women’s voting rights and reveled in the relative freedom of the times. She was also a passionate and adventurous person. Her passions took her from Wisconsin to NYC where her interest in art led her to arrange the first Chagall exhibit in the US.
During the depression she became an entrepreneur, creating celebrity endorsed dress patterns so that women could afford to dress like woman such as Joan Crawford.
When Mary married Albert Lasker, an advertising pioneer, it was the love affair of the century. Although the two were twenty years apart, age was no obstacle. Mary and Albert joined forces to rebrand the American Society for the Control of Cancer to the American Cancer Society. Between his advertising genius and her networking and social abilities, this couple would change the understanding of cancer.
Judy Pearson brings this incredible story to life like no one else can. I highly recommend this book.
March 30, 2024
Judith Pearson contacted me after reading my review of a Ted Kennedy biography I read last year and generously offered to send me a copy of her book "Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker." "Crusade" is a compelling example of a good biography, featuring an interesting subject who used their influence and experience for good. Mary Lasker, the focus of the book, used her personal experiences with illness and death to fuel her mission to help others, particularly in the field of cancer research. Lasker played a significant role in major government investments in American healthcare, including shaping the modern National Institute of Health. Pearson's biography provides a detailed and in-depth portrayal of this pioneering figure and her impact on healthcare. I am grateful to Judith for the opportunity to read this enlightening book.
January 30, 2024
I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this book. I had never heard of Mary Lasker and was amazed that a person with such affluence spent her whole life on influencing the government to try to legislate the necessary funds to research and eradicate cancer. As both a survivor of cancer and widow of a husband who died of this disease, this book makes me angry that politics are so nonsensical and motivated by self interest. Mary Lasker probably saved my life and had she been able to move the political machine further, my husband would be here to enjoy it with me. Judith Pearson did a great job of sharing the facts of this remarkable woman in a way that makes it easy to read and understand.
April 16, 2024
Until I read Crusade to Heal America, I had never heard of Mary Lasker. Judith Pearson brought Mary’s story to life in this unforgettable book. I was beyond impressed with the extent of the author’s research. Her writing style is clear and easy to understand, she tells the story in a most compelling manner. Mary Lasker’s unprecedented contributions of garnering research and securing funding in a man’s world helped to move the needle on finding a cure for cancer. She truly was remarkable, ahead of her time with the way she maneuvered the political landscape and remained intentional in her tireless commitment to find a cure for cancer. Anyone who has been touched by cancer, or who is interested in the history of this subject will appreciate this book.
October 17, 2024
Such an interesting book about such an interesting woman, someone I’d never heard of before, but someone who had such an influence on healthcare in America. Mary Lasker was very rich, and a philanthropist. She dedicated her life and wealth to improving the nation’s health and was instrumental in increasing medical research, in spite of the considerable opposition she faced. This meticulously researched biography not only delves deeply into Lasker’s life but also into America’s often conflicted attitude and approach to public health, and offers insight into why there is often opposition to such initiatives into schemes such as Medicare. Social history, cultural history and medical history are combined here with biography to great effect.
January 7, 2024
Judy Pearson brings philanthropist and activist Mary Lasker to life in this book that shows a woman ahead of her time. She used her position in society for good, when many women weren't so bold. With Pearson telling Mary's story, she excels at showcasing her humanity and brings us back to a time when cancer research and understanding was greatly lacking, yet still upending lives, including Mary's. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are today.
This biography is a must if you want to see what one woman can do to change the world.
This biography is a must if you want to see what one woman can do to change the world.
March 28, 2024
I am really glad Mary Lasker got a biography and her important work was documented. It was a bit dry for my taste-droning on about politics. The politics are an extremely important piece of the story, as Mary pushed so often to lobby for funds, there were just times I found myself skimming because it felt like I was sitting with the Senate arguing who was right: the right or the left. I am so glad there are/were people in this world like Mary who push and persevere for causes they care about, we need more who do so.
June 26, 2024
Have you ever heard of Mary Lasker? Neither had I! "The Crusade to Heal America" is a fascinating read to learn about this woman- one of the most important women of the 20th century! This biography reads like a novel- and all the names of celebrities, politicians and businessmen reads like a who's who and will conjure up many memories. Everyone should know about Mary and the path she paved with funding medical research. Unfortunately her life goal has not yet been realized, but we are on the right track.
October 13, 2023
Judith Pearson has written a captivating book on the life of Mary Lasker and her decades long devotion “to heal America”. This book is a must read for everyone who loves medicine, science and best of all, trailblazing women in medicine and science! Mary Lasker should be called “Saint Mary” thanks to Judith and her dedication bringing Mary’s story to life!
December 26, 2023
A fascinating story about how many aspects of our health care and the government's role in health care have come to be. A good book for a long trip. Thanks to #NetGalley for the audio ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.I just reviewed Crusade to Heal America by Judith L. Pearson. #CrusadetoHealAmerica #NetGalley
November 14, 2023
Wonderful story of a relatively unknown woman who did so much to improve today’s world.
June 13, 2025
The account of the tireless efforts of Mary Lasker to improve the health of Americans.
June 23, 2025
I had no idea who she was before reading this, but her influence and drive for making medical research funding a political priority was really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews