The public is invited to a book signing event at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop, 5 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor, Saturday, July 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. The book, a biography for both adults and young adults, is “Frances Perkins: Champion of American Workers,” published by Histria Books.

The author is Ruth Monsell of Camden and Damariscotta. She is a Maine artist who also had a career teaching English literature and American history in three states, including at BRHS. Her first publication was a self-illustrated picture book, “Silly Time in Rhythm and Rhyme.”

Perkins, our first female cabinet officer, is very little known. Yet she was secretary of labor for 12 years under FDR, during which time she created Social Security and was a primary architect of the New Deal, workplace safety regulations, and America’s enduring social safety net.

Ruth became inspired in 2012 when she first toured the Perkins homestead (now the Frances Perkins Center) In Newcastle and heard Perkins’ grandson tell her story. Realizing that all the credit had for decades been given to President Roosevelt, she set out on a mission to further bring Frances Perkins’ astonishing life and accomplishments to light.

For more information, go to www.FrancesPerkins-ChampionofAmericanWorkers.com and www.FrancesPerkinsCenter.org.