She is the most influential American you've never heard of. Because of her gifts and grit, the United States boasts the world's preeminent biomedical research institution. She was a quick study, a brilliant networker, and a formidable figure. She called herself a citizen advocate, and she advocated for the health of the nation. This is Mary Lasker's story.

Americans now recognize the National Institutes of Health as the national treasure that it is, but when she began her crusade, her first challenge was persuading elected leaders and federal officials that the health of the American public was even their problem. Armed with the knowledge she was right, and supported by her husband, the famed ad man Albert Lasker, and close friend Florence Mahoney, she built a coalition of noted physicians and scientists that fundamentally changed how we think about medical research funding. In New York she supported the arts and theater. For a few months every year, she traveled to Europe, rented a villa in France or Italy, and entertained all the right people. She incorporated her mission for medical research with her place in high society. She was a socialite on a mission. She was an Angel in Mink.

ACT for NIH Foundation will donate all proceeds that it receives from the sale of the book to the Lasker Foundation.