Citizen : Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy

English

ISBN: 0226446999

EAN: 9780226446998

Category: Biography & Autobiography / Women/Social Science / Social Work/Biography & Autobiography / Social Activists/

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Release Date: 02/04/2006

Synopsis: Jane Addams was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Now Citizen, Louise W. Knights masterful biography, reveals Addamss early development as a political activist and social philosopher. In this book we observe a powerful mind grappling with the radical ideas of her age, most notably the ever-changing meanings of democracy. Citizencovers the first half of Addamss life, from 1860 to 1899. Knight recounts how Addams, a child of a wealthy family in rural northern Illinois, longed for a life of larger purpose. She broadened her horizons through education, reading, and travel, and, after receiving an inheritance upon her fathers death, moved to Chicago in 1889 to co-found Hull House, the citys first settlement house. Citizenshows vividly what the settlement house actually wasa neighborhood center for education and social gatheringsand describes how Addams learned of the abject working conditions in American factories, the unchecked power wielded by employers, the impact of corrupt local politics on city services, and the intolerable limits placed on women by their lack of voting rights. These experiences, Knight makes clear, transformed Addams. Always a believer in democracy as an abstraction, Addams came to understand that this national ideal was also a life philosophy and a mandate for civic activism by all. As her story unfolds, Knight astutely captures the enigmatic Addamss compassionate personality as well as her flawed human side. Written in a strong narrative voice, Citizenis an insightful portrait of the formative years of a great American leader. Knights decision to focus on Addamss early years is a stroke of genius. We know a great deal about Jane Addams the public figure. We know relatively little about how she made the transition from the 19th century to the 20th. In Knights book, Jane Addams comes to life. . . . Citizenis written neither to make money nor to gain academic tenure; it is a gift, meant to enlighten and improve. Jane Addams would have understood.Alan Wolfe, New York Times Book Review My only complaint about the book is that there wasnt more of it. . . . Knight honors Addams as an American original.Kathleen Dalton, Chicago Tribune

Citizen : Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.69 inches

Width: 6.42 inches

Length: 9.33 inches

Weight: 33.69 oz

Pages: 528