A Useful Woman : The Early Life of Jane Addams

by Gioia Diliberto

Frequently recognized as one of the most influential women of the century, and considered a heroine by nurses and social workers around the globe, Jane Addams had to struggle long and hard to earn her place in history. Born in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War, she lived during pivotal times when women were only beginning to create new roles for themselves (ironically building on the Victorian ideal of women as ministering angels).

Focusing on her metamorphosis from a frail, small-town girl into a woman who inspired hundreds of others to join her movement to serve, the poor, A Useful Woman, delves into the mysterious ailments and other troubles young Jane faced. Examining for the first time Jane's physical and mental health and the effect of her father's remarriage after her mother's death, biographer Gioia Diliberto directly links Addam's proneness to depression to her inability to conform to the mores of her time. Also, for the first time, she examines Add's two marriage-like relationships with women.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography

266 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Gioia Diliberto is the author of eight books -- three historical novels and five nonfiction narratives -- and a play. Her writing, which focuses on women's lives, has been praised for combining rich storytelling and literary grace with deep research to bring alive worlds as varied as Jazz Age Paris, nineteenth century Chicago, Belle Epoque Paris, disco era Manhattan, and Prohibition New York. Her books have been translated into several languages, and her articles have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, Town & Country, and Vanity Fair. She also teaches writing and has taught at DePaul and Northwestern Universities and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Gioia is the mother of a grown son and lives in Woodbury, Connecticut with her husband.

Reviews

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Jane Addams got from rural Illinois to Chicago and how she established the settlement known as Hull-House. She struggled against a family that she loved to win her independence and she struggled against the social norms of the day to do the great work of making the world a better place for women, immigrants, the poor, the sick, the elderly, the abused, downtrodden workers, and every other kind of person in need in the days before government social welfare programs existed or civil rights and labor rights were legislated into being. Indeed many of her books and lectures became blueprints for social workers and medical professionals who later set up systems to help those who required assistance.

I learned that Jane was the driving force behind setting up a juvenile court system in Chicago, the first in the country. She oversaw garbage pick-ups in her neighborhood as part of an effort to clean up the streets. She was part of the committee that organized the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 (aka the World Columbian Exhibition). She backed labor unions and supported women's suffrage. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. There was much more to her life than I knew.

The book also explores Jane's tense relationships with her family, her friendships with the other women at Hull-House (in particular, Ellen Gates Starr and Mary Rozet Smith), and her many connections to the wealthy and famous who contributed funds to keep Hull-House going.

Many of the problems that Jane Addams wrote about and spoke about are still with us today; many that she addressed have been alleviated thanks to her advice and advocacy. We have much for which to thank this remarkable woman.

[Jessica Lucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Useful Woman: The Early Life of Jane Addams" by Gioia Diliberto is a smooth yet thorough biography of Jane Addams. Famous for her creation of a groundbreaking form of social work in which people who were poor were not given handouts, but training and opportunities, Jane Addams was at the forefront of public and political change towards the end of the Victorian era in America.

From her loving home life that became plagued by death and illness, to her illustrious studies that both exhausted and fed her, to her entitled lifestyle of trips to Europe, and finally her reaching what she believed to be the purpose in her life, this biography shows it all. It discusses the lesbian relationships she may or may not have had, and enforces the inner strength of Addams character in a variety of social situations.

Not only does this book detail Jane Addams's life, but it also illustrates the time and place of her experiences. Set against this backdrop of women's suffrage, class differences, racism, elitism, epidemics, mental illnesses, and political shenanigans, this biography is a historical revelation.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the women's movement, socialism, American history, and the Victorian era. Really, it is an excellent exciting read for just about anybody. I was happy that it was full of lucious detail instead of merely dry facts.

[Miss Lemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Addams creator of Hull House - One persons answer to societies ignoring the poor and their minds. A place within the slums for people to go and be educated. Copied and instituted throughout America and the world. Not only do you read all about Jane and her upbringing but about the bigger picture of turn-of-the-century daughters being educated in newly opened women's colleges but then expected to return to the family for marriage or spinister life caring for family. The author digs into the phenomenon and how different women coped with this frustration. Good good read.

[Marcia Towey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in less than 3 days - really fascinating portrait of the early life of Jane Addams. Enjoyed learning about the difficulties she faced as a college grad trying to find a role for herself in society that was in keeping with her own internalized beliefs about women. She created a new role for herself and young women like her as well as attacked social ills head-on via the settlement movement. Very inspiring with lots of relevance to today!

[Elizabeth Finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting a time for both women and men, and at the heart of it this fascinating woman struggling against the social conventions against women working and thinking through the issues of the day.