Jane Addams: The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Gr 6 Up–In this detailed yet accessible biography, Brill explores the life of the mother of modern social work, Jane Addams. From her privileged but difficult childhood in Illinois, Addams received lessons on the importance of education and the intrinsic value of people. Beginning in 1889, Addams and others lived in Hull House among the poor, outcast immigrants of Chicago’s South Side. This revolutionary idea—living among the people one was trying to help—was the basis of the first “settlement house” in the United States. Despite being unwell for most of her adult life, Addams worked tirelessly to find solutions to issues, such as low education, inaccessible childcare, public health crises, and dangerous working and squalid living conditions. She championed various social causes: women’s suffrage, child labor regulation, racial equality, and world peace. She was recognized in 1931 as a corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Brill’s writing is highly readable and well organized, providing an excellent source for any report about Addams. Black-and-white photographs of Addams and her fellow workers clearly show the conditions and issues they were trying to change. A time line, glossary, notes, and bibliography finish out the work. A very minor issue: the font used to differentiate glossary words is barely distinguishable from the text.