Kirstin Downey
www.KirstinDowney.com
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Isabella, the Warrior Queen
The Woman Behind the New Deal
An engrossing and revolutionary biography of Queen Isabella of Castile, the controversial ruler of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.
Born at a time when Christianity was dying out and the Ottoman Empire was aggressively expanding, Isabella was inspired in her youth by tales of Joan of Arc, a devout young woman who unified her people and led them to victory against foreign invaders.
In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, 23-year-old Isabella defied a hostile brother and a mercurial husband to seize control of Castile. Her subsequent feats were legendary. She ended a 24-generation struggle between Muslims and Christians, forcing North African invaders back over the Mediterranean Sea. She laid the foundation for a unified Spain. She sponsored the trips of Columbus and other explorers to the Americas and negotiated Spanish control over much of the New World with the help of Rodrigo Borgia, the infamous Pope Alexander VI. She also annihilated all who stood against her and against her faith by establishing a bloody religious Inquisition that would darken Spain's reputation for centuries.
Whether saintly or satanic, no female leader has done more to shape our modern world, where millions of people in two hemisphers speak Spanish and practice Catholicism.
Yet history has all but forgotten Isabella's influence, due to hundreds of years of misreporting that often attributed her accomplishments to Ferdinand, the bold and philandering husband she adored.
Using new scholarship from Jewish, Muslim and Eastern European sources, Downey's luminous biography tells the story of this brilliant, fervent, forgotten woman, the faith that propelled her through life, and the land of ancient conflicts and intrigue she brought under her command.
Now out in paperback!
"Kirstin Downey has given us a rich, nuanced portrait of one of the most significant figures of the Age of Roosevelt." —JON MEACHAM, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
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Frances Perkins is no longer a household name, yet she was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. Based on nine years of research, and exclusive access to Perkins’s family members and friends, this biography is the first complete portrait of Frances Perkins, who was named Secretary of Labor by FDR in 1933.
Kirstin Downey
Kirstin Downey is an award-winning journalist who was a business writer at the Washington Post from 1988 to 2008. Downey's work has focused on illuminating the human implications of important financial trends, particularly boom and bust cycles in the modern economy. More about Kirstin
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Early reviews:
"In this astonishing biography, Kirstin Downey brings to life the most powerful queen in history, whose extraordinary impact on the world--for both good and ill--continues to this day. Downey is particuarly good at showing the human side of Isabella, whose life was an unending struggle to assert herself while navigating the countless intrigues and treachery of men who wanted to bring her down, including her own faithless and jealous husband, Ferdinand. It's a fascinating story with great resonance for today." --Lynne Olson, author of the New York Times bestseller Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh and America's Fight Over World War II
"Kirstin Downey makes medieval history read like a modern day thriller. Queen Isabella's life unfolded at the pivotal moment when the old world was astonished by the discovery of the new, and this graceful and insightful biography reveals her crucial role in making it happen." --Deirdre Bair, National Book Award-winning author of Samuel Beckett
"Queen Isabella was the most important woman in the history of Europe, and more than any person of her era she set the stage for modern Europe and America. Using Muslim, Jewish and Christian sources, Kirstin Downey's gripping biography reveals how Isabella acquired such importance and vividly narrates the incredible drama of her life."--Jack Weatherford, author of the New York Times bestseller Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
"Kirstin Downey triumphantly restores Isabella to her rightful place in history. This is an engrossing new portrait of one of the most fascinating and controversial women who ever lived." --Amanda Foreman, author of the New York Times bestseller Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
Kirstin Downey
photo credit: Evan Giordanella
In the News
Capital File, May/June Issue:
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, calls Woman Behind the New Deal "Fascinating."
April 23, 2010:
Los Angeles Times Book Review Honors Woman Behind the New Deal, and names it a Finalist for best biography of the year
MAY 3, 2009: Voice of America, Global Town Hall on Obama's First 100 Days
economics panelist with Jonathan Alter of Newsweek
April, 2009: AFL-CIO, Point of View
"Frances Perkins Rides to The Rescue - Again" Downey writes guest column for AFL-CIO about the importance of unemployment insurance as the Department of Labor reports that the unemployment rate skyrocketed to 8.5% in March 2009.
April 11, 2009: CSPAN-2, BookTV
VIDEO: Downey gives a talk at the Library of Congress on March 23.
April 6, 2009: WHYY Radio, Radio Times
AUDIO: Host, Marty Moss-Coane plays a recording of Frances Perkins talking about social security, and then interviews Downey about Perkins's legacy as FDR's secretary of labor.
March 31, 2009: Democracy Now!, War and Peace Report
VIDEO: Amy Goodman interviews Kirstin Downey about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, Frances Perkins and her tremendous influence on FDR and the New Deal.
March 28, 2009: NPR, All Things Considered
AUDIO: "Biographer Chronicles Perkins, 'New Deal' Pioneer" - Jacki Lyden interviews Kirstin Downey on NPR
March 25, 2009: IAMAW MACHINISTS NEWS NETWORK, Downey Speaks AT AFL-CIo
VIDEO: Downey gives a book talk to labor leaders on the anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire, the event that galvanized Frances Perkins to action, and Annie Valliere sings labor songs. - Deirdre Kaniewski reports
March 25, 2009: NWHM, Women's History Month celebrates Frances Perkins
Downey and Rep. Carolyn Maloney spoke at an event in the U.S. Capitol hosted by the National Women's History Museum
March 13, 2009: The Cornell Daily Sun, Downey makes appearance at CornelL
"Journalist Lectures on FDR's Labor Sec. Frances Perkins" - Cameron Breen reports
Photo: Downey speaks at the AFL-CIO on the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. (Photo Credit: Joe Kekeris/AFL-CIO)
Latest Reviews
Book Review: NPR's Fresh Air - April 16,2009
"Kirstin Downey's lively, substantive and — dare I say — inspiring new biography of Perkins, called The Woman Behind the New Deal, not only illuminates Perkins' career but also deepens the known contradictions of Roosevelt's character" -Maureen Corrigan
Book Review: USA Today - April 20, 2009
"Kirstin Downey's excellent new biography of Perkins, The Woman Behind the New Deal, is timed perfectly as the U.S. faces the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression." - Dierdre Donahue
BOOK REVIEW: LOS ANGELES TIMES - April 12, 2009
"a shrewd, appreciative biography...." - Wendy Smith
Book Review: The American Prospect - April 2009
"Team of Rivals Redux: How four men and one woman, with very different backgrounds and views, shaped the New Deal." -Lizabeth Cohen
Book Review: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - April 5, 2009
"Frances Perkins biography reveals untold story of woman who developed significant policy under FDR" -Mary Leonard
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