Jane Addams is best known as the founder of Hull House in Chicago, a settlement house opened to serve the poor on Chicago's West Side. In this fascinating and enlightening biography, Knight uses Addams' own writing, letters and other archives to tell the story of this woman who early on decided to devote her life to narrowing the gap between rich and poor. Knight chronicles Addams' many successes and the obstacles she faced, including prejudices in herself that she had to conquer. Addams' role in women's suffrage, the passing of child labor laws and the peace movement are all explored in depth. Knight also notes that Addams' attachment to her friend Mary Rozet Smith, her partner for many years, was something not questioned in the days before Freud. The knowledge that prejudices and inequality are still with us, even though many of the causes Addams championed have been realized, is a sub-theme of this biography. This makes it more than an engrossing look at a woman, but also an inspiration for those who aren't aware of what one person can do to change the world. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Jane Addams (1860-1935) was one of the leading figures of the Progressive era. This "pragmatic visionary," as Knight calls her, is best known as the creator of Hull House, a model settlement house offering training, shelter, and culture for Chicago's poor. Addams also involved herself in a long list of Progressive campaigns. Her rhetorical skills as both speaker and writer made her internationally recognized as a supporter of civil rights, woman suffrage, and labor reform. Using brief quotes and contextual details, Knight (Citizen: Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy) describes her subject's journey from a Victorian upbringing that stressed family duty through her practice of lofty "benevolence" as a young woman to the confidence to unhesitatingly risk her substantial reputation advocating pacifism during WWI. Her continuing peace activities earned her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, but antagonized many longstanding supporters. In this well-supported and appealing portrait of an iconic American, Knight emphasizes Addams's struggle to redefine Victorian womanhood and claim her right to "possess authority in the public realm" and "exercise authority" as a lobbying feminist who helped women acquire the right to vote. 32 illus. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information