Long before the current phrase "Women's Liberation" was coined, American women were defying notions of male supremacy to courageously demonstrate the contributions they could make to society. One such woman was Frances Perkins, crusader for social and economic justice and the first woman ever appointed to the Cabinet of the United States.

No one would have predicted that Frances Perkins would dedicate herself to a career of public service when she was born in Massachusetts in the late 1800's. Her father was a conservative businessman, her childhood was sheltered, and not until a course in college opened her eyes to the poverty and want around her was her course in life set. Plunging into social work in Chicago and Philadelphia, she learned to walk through the most dangerous slums unafraid, and confronted atrocious human misery. In New York, she received another kind of education as she battled for laws to protect the helpless, and became allied with many notable leaders, among them, Alfred E. Smith. Even marriage and motherhood did not limit her activities for long, and soon she was working in the state government, first under Smith, then under Franklin D. Roosevelt, showing just how well she had mastered the lessons of practical politics.

When Roosevelt was elected President, Frances Perkins was his choice as Secretary of Labor, and together they faced the awesome challenges of the depression. Today Frances Perkins is remembered as one of the greatest Secretaries of Labor America has ever had, presiding over a veritable revolution in American labor practices. A vivid and inspiring biography of a great woman.

From the dust jacket