20 Years at Hull-House

20 Years at Hull-House, by Jane Addams, stands as one of the greatest books against social injustice of the 20th century. Quite arguably, Addams stands on par with Gandhi or Mother Teresa in terms of a commitment to social justice. Addams' settlement house (or Hull House, as it was called) was like an ashram built in the middle of Chicago's dirtiest late 19th century slum. She pioneered in social work of a type that had never been done before - helping immigrants, single mothers, orphans, troubled youth and the unemployed. The scope of Addam's sociological experience has never been matched. Politically, Addams was an anti-war advocate. Her views on the abolition of military conflict secured a Nobel Prize, but also a black-listing with the House of Un-American Activities. Larger than life, Jane Addams story involves ethics, social work, sociology, social justice, and democracy, Her story is more than inspiring: it is a truly amazing example of excellence. Though Addams' prose often gets mired in the florid and highly mannered style of her era, her book remains compelling even today. Free of the ethnic racism and stereotyping that blight many similar works of the era, Addams' account of her groundbreaking community center in one of the worst parts of late 19th-century Chicago fairly overflows with compassion and almost unbelievable fairness. Addams's intelligence is evident: many of her ideas and attitudes seem decades ahead of their time. Though not light reading, 20 Years at Hull-House contains many gripping portraits of the desperation of immigrant life and the simple power of human decency. Like many of her fellow "Progressives," Jane Addams was born in the Midwest and received an exceptional scholastic and religious education. She was strongly devoted to her father and shared with him a reverence for Abraham Lincoln. Like many reformers of her era, Addams was not attracted to evangelical duty. Missionary work left her with a sense of futile detachment from the wretched social conditions she witnessed in East London. After visiting Toynbee Hall, Addams decided to establish a similar settlement house in the rapidly-growing city of Chicago, where "the evil and vices of American life seemed to be exaggerated." Her experiences at this settlement house are the subject of this book. Progressive without being radical, Addams refused to be swayed by the claims of certain social movements and untried panaceas. Though she greatly admired Tolstoy, Addams found his message "confused and contradictory" and doubted its suitability to the situation in Chicago. She deplored any violent tactics associated with socialist and anarchist groups despite their "noble motives." Addams demonstrated an understanding of detrimental impact of labor uion strikes on people outside of the labor movement (her own dying sister was unable to see her family because the transportation system was blocked due to the Pullman strike). Unlike most reformers, she also had respect for the immigrant cultures represented at Hull House, where a "labor museum" put native sewing machines and other instruments and crafts on display for all to enjoy. After attending Rockford College, Addams toured London. It was there that she came up with the idea of the Hull House. As part of her work at Hull House, Addams advocated reasonable working hours for women, child labor laws, and juvenile court. Considered to be an early feminist, Addams was not satisfied with simply founding Hull House-she wanted to change society so that a Hull House would not be needed. A wonderful reformer, Jane Addams contributed much to the betterment of this country, and her classic book continues to offer valuable social insights into one of America's most interesting time periods.