Maternal Justice – Mirian Van Waters & the Female Reform Tradition: Miriam Van Waters and the Female Reform Tradition - Hardcover

Freedman, Estelle B

4.5

12 ratings by Goodreads

9780226261492: Maternal Justice – Mirian Van Waters & the Female Reform Tradition: Miriam Van Waters and the Female Reform Tradition

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226261492 ISBN 13: 9780226261492

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1996

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Celebrated prison reformer Miriam Van Waters made history for her sensational battle to retain the superintendency of the Massachusetts Reformatory for Women in 1949. Maternal Justice provides a compelling biography of this early lesbian activist by moving beyond the controversy to tell the story of a remarkable woman whose success rested upon the power of her own charismatic leadership. Estelle B. Freedman draws from Van Waters's diaries, letters, and personal papers to recreate her complex personal life, unveiling the disparity between Van Waters's public persona and her agonized private soul. With the power and elegance of a novel, Maternal Justice illuminates this historical context, casting light on the social welfare tradition, on women's history, on the American feminist movement, and on the history of sexuality. "Maternal Justice is as much a work of history as it is biography, bringing to life not only a remarkable woman but also the complex political and social milieu within which she worked and lived."--Kelleher Jewett, Nation "This sympathetic biography reclaims Van Waters for history."--Publishers Weekly

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

In her extraordinary career as a prison reformer, Miriam Van Waters worked tirelessly to champion the cause of socially disadvantaged and delinquent women. Yet, it was her sensational battle to retain the superintendency of the Massachusetts Reformatory for Women in 1949 that made her a national cause celebre, triumphantly defending herself against an array of political and ideological enemies. In this compelling biography, Estelle Freedman moves beyond the controversy to reveal a remarkable woman whose success rested upon the power of her own charismatic leadership. She touched thousands of people - from Boston Brahmins to alcoholics, prostitutes, and desperate criminals, to her devoted prison staff and volunteers. Through her, we meet a wealth of characters, including Eleanor Roosevelt, and see the realities of life in the early decades of this century for a single mother of an adopted daughter. A compelling tale in its own right, Van Waters life also supplies a missing chapter in the history of American women. Combining a deep faith in the social power of motherhood with professional efforts to secure equal justice for women and children. Van Waters and her generation provide a legacy for contemporary woman activists.

About the Author:

Estelle B. Freedman is the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in US History at Stanford University and the author of No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.