I have to say that I added this book on a whim to a few others I had already checked on the monthly choice form, and I was somewhat alarmed when a huge novel about what seemed like a dry topic showed up in my mail. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish the book because it would put me to sleep every time I tried to read it. Instead, I loved it! The characters and events were portrayed in such a humane and vivid way. Dray showed us the dire need for a system like Social Security, and Perkins’ fight to put it in place made the book a page-turner. Dray’s portrayal of Perkins’ personal life, especially her family’s struggles with serious mental health issues and her own struggles with balancing her work with her family responsibilities, turned the book from what would been an powerful history lesson into something more nuanced, perhaps a meditation on how history is built by real human beings in all their complexity and fragility. The novel was so much more than I expected, and I know I’ll continue to think about it for years.
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I just received notification that my download of this book is ready, so I am looking forward to jumping back in with comments at a later date.
I wasn’t sure what to think, but this is a character that I knew just a little bit about and I love historical fiction. I am SO glad I read this book, and I have recommended it to several friends, and it is on our book club list. I was engaged from the first few pages and learned so much about Perkins. In this time in our history, It’s important to remember how hard-won so many of our protections and privileges are.