Twenty Years at Hull House

Twenty Years at Hull House, by the acclaimed memoir of social reformer Jane Addams, is presented here complete with all sixty-three of the original illustrations and the biographical notes.

A landmark autobiography in terms of opening the eyes of Americans to the plight of the industrial revolution, Twenty Years at Hull House has been applauded for its unflinching descriptions of the poverty and degradation of the era. Jane Addams also details the grave ill-health she suffered during and after her childhood, giving the reader insight into the adversity which she would re-purpose into a drive to alleviate the suffering of others. 

The process by which Addams founded Hull House in Chicago is detailed; the sheer scale and severity of the poverty in the city she and others witnessed, the search for the perfect location, and the numerous difficulties she and her fellow activists encountered while establishing and maintaining the house are detailed. 

Eventually, after years of work, Hull House became a shining example of how intervention in the poorest slums could have remarkable results for the families concerned. Children who regularly attended Hull House enjoyed education and opportunities for creativity. Many went on to experience a prosperous adulthood thanks to the skills and tutoring they gained at the house. 

Today, Jane Addams is held as a great example of a pioneering spirit, whose social work and social assistance were greatly inspiring to the reforming administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The model Addams established with Hull House was imitated widely; by 1922, over five-hundred settlement houses had been founded across the United States.