“The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins…” by Kirstin Downey

Book of the Week!

This week RabbleRouse Reads, Book of the Week salutes the “preachy women dominating the culture of the Democratic party.” You know, the ones saving the country and the party right now. It promises to be a historic week as the Democratic convention kicks off, might as well read a book between speeches. We recommend Kristin Downey’s book, “The woman behind the New Deal: the life and legacy of Frances Perkins – social security, unemployment insurance, and the minimum wage”

“Perkins also drafted the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, banning child labor and establishing a minimum wage and 40-hour work week.” Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

Our kind of RabbleRouser

“I had to do something about unnecessary hazards to life, unnecessary poverty. It was sort of up to me.” -Frances Perkins

Robert B. Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former U.S. Secretary of Labor said: “The New Deal was a big deal for America — and, as Kirstin Downey shows in this illuminating and sparkling book, Frances Perkins, my predecessor as Labor Secretary, was the moving force behind much of it. Her legacy included Social Security, unemployment insurance, and other initiatives that have improved the lives of generations of Americans. With wit and insight, Downey recounts the accomplishments of this singular woman and invites us to celebrate her life.”