“Uphill all the way”: Grace abbott and women’s work in building the welfare state

This essay reviews the memoir-biography of pioneering social worker and public servant Grace Abbott, A Sister’s Memories: The Life and Work of Grace Abbott from the Writings of Her Sister, Edith Abbott, edited by John Sorensen. It discusses what Abbott’s career in public service reveals about women’s historic role in early social work from the Progressive Era through the New Deal, comments on parallels to contemporary political issues such as immigration policies and income disparities, and reflects on women’s distinctive place in national politics during a historymaking presidential election campaign.