Interesting historically. Addams was an assimilationist who spoke fairly respectfully about Southern European and Jewish traditions; a reformer who sought government by experts but also the franchise for women; a believer that labor rights mattered and that bad conditions produced bad behavior rather than the reverse; and a condemner of prostitution who both thought that many women were tricked or coerced into sex work and that sex work ruined any woman who engaged in it such that other “good” people were justified in excluding them from polite society no matter how repentant they were. ( )

As the title says, this book chronicles two decades in the life of Hull House, founded in Chicago by Jane Addams. Addams talks about her own life to the extent that it inspired her to build the house, and about the life of the house and its members. The house became a refuge for new arrivals to Chicago, a place for youth to gather safely, and a place where the traditions of immigrants' home countries could be showcased and passed down to new generations.

The actual work done by Hull House is valuable and important, and it is inspiring these days to read about initiatives that bring people together. I did find this something of a slog, though. Lots of long, dense paragraphs and long chapters. Definitely one for the dedicated reader rather than the casual one.

I read this after seeing it mentioned in The Women of the Copper Country, by Mary Doria Russell. ( )

Written in the early 1900s, this is the story of the beginnings of Social Services in America. Jane Addams tells not only about her experiment with Hull House, but about her philosophy of what social service is or can be, the need for it and some of the episodes with the people she helped. It is quite dry, more of an intellectual observation than a personal story. I admire her for trying to stay clear of being identified with or owned by other social movements of the times. Still, I couldn't finish this book. More my problem than a problem with the book, but it didn't involve me in it, too much observation and not enough personal experiences I suppose. I quit reading about half way through. ( )

The opening chapters about her life filled me with some hope but the main bulk was a bit more stiff and stilted. It seemed an equal mixture of antedoctes and theory and they didn't always mesh well. She mostly served to downplay her own role, which I'm guessing was fairly substanial. Perhaps a bio of her would tell me more of what I wanted to know.

Jane Addams was one of those remarkable rare creatures, a true citizen of the world. She used her intelligence and humanity to assist disadvantaged people in Chicago to develop intellectually, artistically, intellectually, physically, and emotionally. As a social scientist she formulated ideas and plans then was always ready to change them when new information about people and societies showed the need. You could say she was for the underdog, but not just for the underdog, because she realized the underdog could sometimes act on ideas that were not beneficial to society. This put her on the bad side of some underdogs. She tolerated and supported all religions at her settlement, which put her on the bad side of many religious people. She supported people who were wrongly accused of anarchism this put her on the bad side of many politically conservative people. In fact she said that rather than ignoring human rights in order to prosecute anarchists the government should show how the government assisted people through the support of their political and human rights. She encouraged play, pleasure and humor saying that drudgery and hard work could not be all humans had to look forward to. Above all, she knew the necessity of community, the way the individual could thrive only by assisting community in whatever individual way he or she could. If there were such a thing as a secular saint, I'd nominate Jane Addams. I would encourage everyone to read this book before they vote. ( )