Courage Says Keep On: The Story of A Progressive Era Social Worker, Housewife and Writer

This book is a synthesis of nonfiction narrative, biography, history, and memoir. It’s the story of the author’s grandmother Rachel Whitcomb, told as much as possible in Rachel’s own words and in those of her contemporaries. She was a young social worker helping immigrants in urban New England during a decade of change-1913 to 1922. She was also a perceptive, capable writer. Through her journals and articles, Rachel described her family culture, her professional experience, and her personal journey. Like many of her contemporaries, she was a young woman with her feet in different worlds, seemingly all changing at once. In Courage Says Keep On, Faith Burton Gregor weaves abundant, descriptive primary sources with careful research, offering fresh insight into a fascinating period of American history. The narrative is further enriched by a present-day profile of two of Rachel’s original workplaces, which still operate and serve their communities.