Two Sisters for Social Justice: A BIOGRAPHY OF GRACE AND EDITH ABBOTT [Paperback]

Lela B. Costin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2003

During the first half of the twentieth century Grace Abbott (1878-1939) and her sister Edith (1876-1957) worked tirelessly to correct many of our nation's most serious problems. In this vividly detailed and balanced biography, Lela B. Costin has given these two remarkable women their due. From the Progressive Era through the New Deal, the Abbott sisters were an integral part of the debate that raged around the issues of suffrage, workers' rights, child labor laws, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, the 'immigrant problem', tenement housing, social security, emergency relief programs, and the peace movement.Refusing to claim any of the special 'feminine' insights often attributed to their contemporary Jane Addams, the Abbotts assumed the role of social engineers and strove for a specialized competence with which to understand the entire social system. Individually their achievements were many. Grace was best known for her work with the U.S. Children's Bureau and Edith for her role in the founding and development of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. As Costin shows, their lives and careers were inextricably woven into a dramatic partnership of ideas and action that challenged the prevailing norms of American society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Based on a wealth of primary sources, Two Sisters for Social Justice deals with significant and timely material and skilfully blends its subjects' private lives with their public careers. It is concisely and clearly written, analytical as well as descriptive, friendly yet not uncritical." --The Journal of American History "It is a major contribution to social welfare and women's history, and it deserves to be read widely." --Social Service Review "This engrossing book illuminates one of the most intriguing periods in the history of American middle class women, a time when women were shaping social policy and laying the groundwrok for what would be the reforms of the New Deal." --- Anne Firor Scott

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (July 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252071557
• ISBN-13: 978-0252071553
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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