Book Review - The Woman Behind the New Deal by Kirstin Downey

Wow. It's wonderful to read a book about a subject you knew nothing about that affects how you see the world. This well-researched book is a biography of a fascinating woman - Frances Perkins. Ever hear of her? I never had, and just happened to hear the author talking about this book on NPR. I got the book from the library, and still didn't open it for weeks. But once I did - wow. Ms. Perkins was an amazing woman. She (NOT FDR and certainly not Eleanor Roosevelt) was truly the brains behind social security, unemployment insurance, the 40 hour work week, and the minimum wage. And talk about a work ethic! She worked right up until her death in her 80's. Frances was the first woman in the cabinet, and in a male dominated world, she continued to quietly fight for worker's rights, even though she dealt with a lot of gender-based prejudice. What a woman! What a book!