Book Clubs- Columbia Pike Branch

Wed, February 15, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Columbia Pike Branch Library, 816 S Walter Reed Drive (map)


The group will discuss The Woman Behind the New Deal by Kirstin Downey.

Frances Perkins was the first female member of a presidential Cabinet, and as such she made many contributions to American labor policy, including Social Security and unemployment benefits. As author Kirstin Downey points out, "Factory and office occupancy codes, fire escapes, and other fire-prevention mechanisms are her legacy. About 44 million people collect Social Security checks each month; millions receive unemployment and worker's compensation or the minimum wage; others get to go home after an eight-hour day because of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Very few know the name of the woman responsible for their benefits." Downey brings some much-deserved attention to this political pioneer in The Woman Behind the New Deal: Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience. Perkins was a mixture of idealist and agile politician. She might have disagreed with Tammany Hall tactics, but when she needed their support for legislation, she had no hesitation about courting them. She was also aware of how most men viewed women in politics and modified her behavior accordingly, allowing them to view her as a mother figure instead of a career woman. But she was a politician on a mission: she cared about the poor and made it clear to Roosevelt that he would have to agree to her agenda before she would sign on as secretary of labor. Downey presents a balanced picture of the woman who changed the conditions for working America. The average working person today owes a debt to Frances Perkins, and she certainly deserves to be better known than she is.
The club generally meets the third Wednesday of the month. For more information contact Anne-Marie Dittman at 703-228-7762.