"A fine account of Eleanor Roosevelt's evolving philosophy and activism on behalf of organized labor. Utilizing her writings and speeches as well as pertinent labor union archives and journals, interviews with influential labor leaders, and relevant secondary sources, O'Farrell is the first to describe Roosevelt's lifelong commitment to the US labor movement.... She portrays Roosevelt convincingly as an advocate who fearlessly challenged not only anti-labor pundits like Westbrook Pegler, but also corrupt labor leaders whose power grabs tainted efforts to aid US workers. An excellent resource for those interested in better understanding Eleanor Roosevelt, New Deal and post-WWII politics, and US labor history during the 20th century. Summing up: Highly recommended."

"First, O'Farrell clearly links Roosevelt's concern for labor issues with her international work, particularly with the 1949 enactment of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Second, she demonstrates how Roosevelt used her 'My Day' columns and articles to support labor, particularly in opposing the Taft-Hartley Act and right-to-work laws. Third, the author deftly evokes the friendships between Roosevelt and labor leaders such as David Dubinsky and, most notably, the United Auto Workers president Walter Reuther. Finally, and most important, She Was One of Us also contributes to the development of one of the most significant interpretations of post-World War II feminism.... She Was One of Us is a solidly researched and well-written account that stands as an important contribution not only to further reconsiderations of Eleanor Roosevelt's career after World War II but also to studies of the development of labor feminism from the 1940s through the early 1960s."

"With regard to originality, Brigid O'Farrell’s She Was One of Us stands head and shoulders above [other recent biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt].... O’Farrell organizes her book around two central themes: how Eleanor Roosevelt got so smart about working-class life, and how she used what she learned.... In this book, Eleanor’s relationship to Franklin is only a small part of her story, and that analytic shift opens new vistas on her career."

"Want to make your workplace safer? To have a say in setting your wages and benefits? To join a union? Read this book. Timely and compelling, She Was One of Us shows us how First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt translated her ideas about social and economic justice into action. As a union member, she understood that workers' rights are human rights and she championed the men and women who go to work each day in steel mills, restaurants, coal mines, garment factories, hospitals, offices, and schools. Brigid O'Farrell has written a book that provides inspiration and practical guidance for all of us who carry on the legacy of making Eleanor Roosevelt's vision of workplace democracy a reality at home and around the world."