Most people know Jane Addams (1860-1935) as the force behind Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in the United States. She was also an ardent suffragist and civil rights activist, co-founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union. But it was her work as a pacifist that put her in the international spotlight. Although many people labeled her “unpatriotic” for her pacifist activities, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 and, at the time of her death, Jane Addams was one of the most respected and admired women in the world. In this well-researched and inspiring account, acclaimed husband-and-wife team, Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin, draw upon hundreds of historical documents and archival photographs to create a revealing portrait of the woman whose very way of life made her an American icon. Starred Review. Grade 6 Up–The introduction asserts, Today most people either don't know who Jane Addams was, or they have only a vague idea, but the number of books published about her, especially juvenile titles, suggests that she is not such an obscure figure. What distinguishes this one is the broader context that the Fradins establish, placing Hull House and the activism of Addams and her friends within the sphere of the history they so clearly influenced. The past is consistently linked to the present by quantifying prices in today's values, explaining what life was like for the poor before government programs were available to help them, and detailing the specifics of life and politics in Chicago and the world in Addams's time. The scene is carefully set for her amazing role as a social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Opening with her garbage crusade against unsanitary conditions and entrenched politicians in Chicago, then jumping back to her life as a child in Cedarville, IL, and continuing in a linear format, anecdotal information carries the story. Thoughtful placement of quotes from her own testimony and descriptions of her personal quirks humanize her. Primary documents, mainly in the form of archival photos and direct quotes from letters, break up the text. Notes reveal that the authors conducted interviews and did extensive research to authenticate the stories–the detail of these notes will assist researchers seeking to pursue their sources. –Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. A fascinating and rich life is related in strong, unfussy prose by the Fradins. Known as Jennie as a child, the peace activist, founder of Hull House, and Nobel Prize winner felt like an ugly duckling. But college, Europe, and the discovery of good work that she could do in the city of Chicago transformed her. The settlement house she founded in 1889 provided a place for the poor to learn, to socialize, to share. She mobilized both workers and volunteers, wrote, spoke, studied, and raised funds. Most of the photographs are portraits; the text is enlivened when the images are those taken at Hull House or at marches. The narrative is smoothly written, and the opening anecdote, which describes how she became a garbage inspector of the Nineteenth Ward of Chicago in order to get the garbage picked up, is telling and draws readers into the story. Addams' bouts of depression and her deeply unpopular opposition to World War I are noted but do not unbalance the narrative. What shines is her everyday heroism, which changed lives. Excellent. GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "What distinguishes this [Jane Addams biography] is the broader context that the Fradins establish." School Library Journal, Starred "A fascinating and rich life is related in strong, unfussy prose by the Fradins." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review "This remarkable team...aptly captures the shaping of Jane Addams's (1860-1935) character." Publishers Weekly, Starred "An important work that will introduce an important American to a new generation of readers." Kirkus Reviews "The Fradins present a complex woman whose ideas are enduring and particularly timely in our day." Horn Book "A solid introduction to one of the premier figures of the last century." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "This carefully documented and well developed account draws from Addams's own writings on the value of human life." Horn Book Guide, Pointer Dennis Brindell Fradin was the author of many books for young readers, including the well-received  Samuel Adams: The Father of American Independence , and, with coauthor and wife Judith Bloom Fradin, Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.  Judith Bloom Fradin  collaborated with her husband, Dennis Brindell Fradin, on several award-winning books for young readers, including  Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement  and  Fight On!: Mary Church Terrell's Battle for Int