How the Other Half Lives (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

by Jacob A. Riis, Dail Murray (Introduction)

Overview

"[A] commanding invitation to join the battle." -- The Boston Times

How the Other Half Lives is a riveting account of life in New Yorks Lower East Side tenements of the last century written by one of the Progressive Eras preeminent reformers. Drawn from the authors long career as a police reporter and photographer, the book captures the stark realities of life for the destitute and represents one mans campaign to reform society by challenging the social injustices of his times. First published in 1890, the book called attention to the poverty and immorality of New Yorks toughest neighborhoods, from the sweatshops to the crime-ridden alleys, and the plight of the marginalized people who lived and worked in the hellish enclaves of tenement slums.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781411429925
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Series:	Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Born in Ribe, Denmark, the third child of a family of fourteen, Jacob Riis showed promise as a crusader even in childhood. Nicknamed "the Delver" for his habit of mucking around in the sewer and waging war on rats, he once gave his Christmas money to a poor and disreputable family in his village. Riis, with only forty dollars in his pocket, left Denmark to make his mark in America. Jobless and hungry, he soon became the forefront of the urban reform movement.