"Kirstin Downey has given us a rich, nuanced portrait of one of the most significant figures of the Age of Roosevelt.  Frances Perkins has fallen out of the popular imagination; this fine book should do much to rectify that, and bring the first female member of a president's Cabinet to vivid life once more."

—Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

“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 this singular woman and invites us to celebrate her life.”                                   

—Robert B. Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

"For his presidency to succeed, FDR needed a strong labor secretary to restore jobs and confidence. Perkins was that loyal lieutenant, as well as his unrelenting prod and social conscience."

Read more of... Leonard's Review
- Mary Leonard, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - April 5, 2009

"The story of Ms. Perkins turns out to be, in the sympathetic hands of Ms. Downey, a remarkably good read, surprisingly full of dramatic twists despite that motherly hat and low-profile manner.

Read more of... "The New Deal's Best Friend"
- Priscilla Taylor, The Washington Times - March 26, 2009

"The current economic woes have, among other things, focused attention once again on the New Deal. Books about the economics, the politics and the personalities of the time have surfaced.

Still, as a new book by award-winning business journalist Kirstin Downey suggests, one of the most influential figures in shaping the New Deal turns out to be a name few know today – and turns out to be a woman.
Eight years of research, new documents and interviews with family members were among the many sources Downey drew on for her new and compelling portrait of "The Woman Behind the New Deal."

Read more of...  Sarah Bagby's Book Review
- Sarah Bagby, NPR - March 9, 2009

"It's a provocative title, but Downey convinced me that Fannie Perkins, of Beacon Hill, Worcester, and Mount Holyoke College, was the woman behind the New Deal. Her book could not be more timely. Downey writes, 'An era of rampant speculation had come to an end. The stock market had collapsed . . . real estate prices had plummeted and millions of homeowners faced foreclosure.' The Perkins/Roosevelt response? Massive government intervention in the markets, vast infrastructure investments, and a safety net for the dispossessed and the unemployed."

"Sound familiar? 'I've been a business reporter all my life, and it's been like watching a 20-year long car crash,' Downey says. 'I covered the savings and loan crisis, the unraveling of the pension system, the hollowing out of corporate America, and the growth of the toxic mortgages. These issues were eerily familiar to me."

Read more of...  "Sealing the Deal":
 - Alex Beam, Boston Globe - March 3, 2009

"There’s a fair amount of disagreement among historians about who in the New Deal was responsible for which successes. Downey makes a persuasive case that Frances Perkins, more than any other single individual, was the driving influence behind the creation and design of both the Social Security Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act."

Read More of... AFL-CIO Review
- AFL-CIO Blog - March, 2009

"...Reading the biography of FDR's Labor Secretary Frances Perkins brings to mind the old saying about how Ginger Rogers had to do everything Fred Astaire did, except backward and in high heels. Perkins, the first female Cabinet member, not only had to do more than her male counterparts to prove herself, she had to do it while dealing with rough-and-tumble labor leaders, a husband in and out of mental institutions, condescending bureaucrats and some Congress members hellbent on impeaching her.  Perkins would have notched a place in history simply by taking the job. But she earned it through a jaw-dropping number of accomplishments. Perkins took a major role in shepherding through Social Security, unemployment insurance, child labor laws and the minimum wage." Read more

Read more of...  "Biography gives due to FDR's labor secretary"
-Michael Hill, Associated Press - February 27, 2009

“No individual--not even Eleanor Roosevelt--exerted more influence over the formulation of FDR's New Deal or did more to implement the programs than Frances Perkins (1880-1965). As former Washington Post staff writer Downey makes plain in this deeply researched biography, the first female Cabinet member was the primary shaper of such new concepts as unemployment insurance, the 40-hour work week and--last but not least--Social Security. At a time when the United States stands at the brink of another economic meltdown calling for sweeping federal interventions, Downey provides not only a superb rendering of history but also a large dose of inspiration drawn from Perkins's clearheaded, decisive work with FDR to solve urgent problems diligently and to succeed in the face of what seemed insurmountable odds. Confronting family issues-a frequently institutionalized husband with severe psychiatric problems; a deeply secret lesbian relationship with Mary Harriman Rumsey (sister of Averell Harriman); a daughter from whom she was often estranged-Perkins nevertheless exhibited tireless grace under pressure again and again, always rising to the occasion in the name of every and any progressive cause.”

Starred Review and "Pick of the Week"
- Publishers Weekly - Dec. 15, 2008

“Kirstin Downey gives Frances Perkins the biography she deserves, the story of a fierce advocate who put people first, a public servant who was actually worthy of the name, and a bracing reminder of what inspired government can do. Perkins ignored the glass ceiling and changed America. This book is a joy!”

—Nick Taylor, author of American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work

“For all of her apparent modesty and fierce sense of privacy, Frances Perkins wanted to be known by posterity for her contributions to FDR and his New Deal, particularly Social Security. An investigative reporter, Kirstin Downey has uncovered France Perkins’s extraordinary strengths in shaping and securing the central domestic accomplishments of the New Dealers.  Despite continuing impediments, Perkins, a social worker, successfully broke into a man’s world and was a major player for all 12 years of FDR’s administration.  Downey deftly links the Progressive movement of the early 1900’s with the reforms Perkins helped FDR achieve, particularly in his first two terms.  In Downey’s skilled hands, Frances Perkins at last emerges as a pivotal figure in the most transformative twelve years of 20th century American history.”

—Christopher N. Breiseth, President and CEO of The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute

“Prize-winning journalist Downey deconstructs the life of a passionate labor advocate who became the nation's first female Cabinet member. Frances Perkins (1880-1965) had clearly delineated goals: reasonable working hours and wages, fire safety, improved working conditions and the end of child labor. Displaying the fortitude and prescience that carried her through three decades of public service, she outlined these during her first meeting with FDR. After being named his Secretary of Labor, she went on to accomplish reform of unprecedented scope. The 40-hour workweek, unemployment insurance and Social Security are but a few of her legacies; her storied relationship with FDR is another. Making excellent use of personal papers and of archival materials that include a 5,000-page oral history, Downey allows Perkins to narrate much of the text, giving new life to this often overlooked historical figure. FDR saw something special in Perkins, and his confidence and support helped her endure years of sexism from fellow Cabinet members and unwarranted criticism from the press. She developed keen insight into the process of successful lawmaking and established a deliberately staid work persona as a 'plain, sturdy, dependable woman' that allowed her to exert authority and demand respect on her own terms. Married to a man institutionalized with mental illness, she kept her unhappy personal life out of the papers and away from Washington, stifling her emotions and dedicating herself fully to the country's problems. At times it seemed that FDR involved her in every major policy decision. Perkins essentially authored the New Deal; she handled immigration during the onset of World War II, bending rules to harbor German Jews; she worked to establish fair hearings against suspected communists. Her entire career was devoted to the principals she espoused in 1913: 'It is human life and happiness which we are trying to save . . . this is the most important thing.' As a progressive president again takes office in a time of economic crisis, Perkins offers a vital role model.”

-Kirkus Reviews

"Downey and Cohen both explore with sensitivity the personal pain Perkins bore silently while she devoted herself to government service... Perkins' career as secretary of labor also offers useful lessons in advancing the interests of labor despite the enormous economic pressures of a depression."

Read More of... "Team of Rivals Redux"
- Lizabeth Cohen, The American Prospect - April 16, 2009