THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE PHOTO Francis Perkins & Her New Deal for America

With even pacing and strong, clear diction, narrator Madeleine Maby gives a compelling performance of this short biography of the trailblazing labor advocate Frances Perkins. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1902, Perkins documented the terrible working conditions in textile and paper mills. Listeners hear horror in Maby's voice as she describes Perkins's outrage at the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and her passion in advocating for fire safety rules we take for granted today. In spite of gender discrimination, Perkins went on to become the first woman to serve in a United States cabinet position, as labor secretary under President Roosevelt. Maby describes the rise of Perkins's career in a calm voice full of conviction. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]