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Woman Behind The New Deal (2009)

by Kirstin Downey(Favorite Author)

4.1 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1299083625 (ISBN13: 9781299083622)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Anchor Books

review 1: This was a fascinating study of a woman with intelligence, tenacity, and strength of vision who followed her calling in spite of some tremendous road blocks that would have intimidated a woman of lesser fortitude. Frances Perkins was a woman who every young woman in this country should have the opportunity to learn about. Of course, few do, and maybe that is because in order to move the labor reforms that she did, including Social Security, minimum wage laws, the 40 hour work week--to say nothing of fire and safety conditions for workers--as a woman in her time she knew that she needed the male majority around her to be convinced and take credit. Politics is all about manipulation, pulling strings, calling favors, cultivating money, and she proved she could do them all.... more Author Downey obviously did some meticulous research into long buried letters and papers of Frances Perkins, and it sounds like our first female Secretary of Labor didn't leave behind a lot of controversial material. I found some of the chapters describing her years in FDR's cabinet to be a little bit one step forward, two steps back as the author followed parallel threads of legislation and political maneuvering, especially as Perkins wooed or butted heads with various factions of labor and management and tried to get far flung factions (including the Russians) to take initiative on labor reforms. She sounds like the kind of person who took her work seriously, deftly absorbed her failures while regathering her forces, and could be a charming guest at a dinner party.
review 2: The Woman Behind the New Deal is an eye opener on how influential a woman could be in the 1930's and how much of an impact on United States culture and law a woman had. When most people think of the New Deal they think FDR came up with it when it was actually his Secretary of Labor, a woman by the name of Frances Perkins, who came up with it. The book starts out by telling of Frances's life before she became Secretary of Labor. It goes into how on some things she struggled with and succeeded with. It also shows how hard of a time she had even after getting the job. When I read this book it reminds me that there were headstrong and independent women like me throughout the decades and that there will always be women like that. less

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