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Abraham Epstein: The Forgotten Father of Social Security

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Abraham Epstein presents Abraham Epstein: The Forgotten Father of Social Security, a solid biography of the American social reformer who permanently transformed the responsibilities of the federal government and was instrumental in instituting the nigh-unassailable institution of Social Security. Written by Abraham Epstein's son, Pierre Epstein, Abraham Epstein: The Forgotten Father of Social Security is a unique blend of memoir and intellectual history. Occasional black-and-white photographs illustrate this heavily researched, smoothly presented true-life story. A welcome and recommended addition to library and private American History and biography shelves.

I was amazed to find this book so readable and well written. Pierre Epstein has written an able and accessible tribute to his remarkable father. I only wish that Abraham Epstein had lived a longer, healthier life. With his remarkable energy, drive, intelligence, and social conscience, I wonder if with another twenty years of life he would have been able to further positively influence the "social security" of our society.

As I read this book, I wondered if Pierre Epstein has ever contemplated how much his father's sense of social justice was formed by his childhood's Jewish education. Abraham Epstein's life was a constant struggle to fulfill the essential commandment, "Justice, justice shall you pursue!"

Written by Abraham's son Pierre, this book provides a fascinating look at one man's struggle to breathe life into the Social Security system. Pierre Epstein brings a unique, personal insight and passion to his work (and includes a nice, feel-good, family angle to the story).

By shedding new light on his father's often overlooked contribution to what is now a well established, although constantly threatened and questioned, part of our lives in America, Pierre Epstein not only shows the origins of our Social Security system, but helps to illuminate the present state of affairs, and offers hope for the future. With a new, more socially conscious (we hope) Congress now in session, it's only a matter of time before a Social Security debate with the White House heats up. With that in mind, there is no better time than the present to examine the roots of Social Security.