Children of the Tenements

by Jacob A. Riis

Excerpt from Children of the Tenements Of the writer by stringing facts together to suit my own fancy. But none of the stories are invented. Nine out of ten of them are just as they came to me fresh from the life of the people, faithfully to portray which should, after all, be the aim of all fiction, as it must be its sufficient reward.

Genres: Classics

387 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

Reports, including How the Other Half Lives (1890), of Danish-born American journalist and reformer Jacob August Riis on living conditions in city slums led to improvements in housing and education.

This Christian helped the impoverished in city of New York; much of his writing focused on those needy. In his youth in Denmark, he read Charles Dickens and James Fennimore Cooper; his works exhibit the story-telling skills, acquired under the tutelage of many English-speaking writers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author was referenced frequently in the book EVICTED that i read recently so I checked out 2 of his books. It was originally
published in 1897. The book is many short stories, a good percentage taking place around Christmas. Some are happy, most are sad and beyond sad to think of the terrible conditions so many people lived and barely existed in.

[Tara Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually own this, but read it during my spare time at Project Gutenberg. Riss has a great gift for narrative, even if his prose is often as judgemental as the times themselves once were. While the miasma of public opinion spends a great deal of time under the constraints of "political correctness" today, Riis' narrative is unabashedly NOT correct. The way in which he describes specific races and religions is a prefect snapshot into the racial seperatism of the time.

[Jobiska (Cindy)]

Definitely infuenced by its times (Victorian sentimentality), and not all about children nor all about tenements, but an interesting insight into life in NYC at the turn of the century nevertheless. The homage to firefighters was fascinating as it made you think about how hard it must have been to do that before modern equipment was available.

[Sara]

I tried so hard to like this book, but as I get older I realize time is precious so I have had to let go of this one.