47 pages • 1 hour read
How the Other Half Lives
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Book Brief
256
Book • Nonfiction
New York City • 1890s
1890
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis documents the grim conditions of New York City's late 19th-century tenements and the lives of the working class. Through his photojournalistic approach, Riis exposes the squalor inflicted by landlords driven by greed, advocating for reform through Christian principles to improve living standards. The book intersperses evocative photographs with vivid descriptions, illustrating the urgent need for social change. The text includes antiquated language regarding race and other sensitive topics.
Informative
Mysterious
Gritty
Challenging
Unnerving
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives is lauded for its groundbreaking photographic and journalistic portrayal of New York City's tenement life in the late 19th century. Critics praise its impactful, eye-opening revelations and societal influence. However, some find Riis's narrative occasionally biased and his methods intrusive by modern standards. Overall, it remains a vital social documentary.
Who Should Read How the Other Half Lives?
Readers who are fascinated by social issues, urban history, and photojournalism will appreciate Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives. Comparable to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Jane Addams’s Twenty Years at Hull House, this book invites those interested in the plight of the urban poor during the Progressive Era.
Inspector Thomas Byrnes
Inspector Thomas Byrnes
The head of New York City’s police detective department from 1880 to 1895, who developed a working relationship with Riis and is quoted in the book.
Miss Ellen Collins
Miss Ellen Collins
A model landlord focused on tenement reform, known for her properties' renovations and fair tenant policies in one of New York’s worst districts.
Mr. A. T. White
Mr. A. T. White
A tenement reformer from Brooklyn praised for building new model tenements, exemplified by his Riverside Buildings.
256
Book • Nonfiction
New York City • 1890s
1890
Adult
18+ years
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