How the Other Half Lives?

The book “How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York” by Jacob Riis is a pioneering photojournalism work providing documentaries about living conditions in the slums of New York city in the end of the 18th century. Actually, the book may be considered a basis of future journalism, because the author thoroughly examines the lives of middle and upper classes of the city. Nevertheless, the book addresses not only living conditions of people in those hard times, it also pays attention to working conditions admitting that workers were paid only few cents per day.

Special concern in the book is child labor noting children had to work in various factories and to perform impossibly difficult tasks as jobs in order to survive. Riis notices that some were newsies and garment workers. Apparently, the book sheds light on the less fortunate people in New York City. Also the book talks about the immigrant’s lives in the beginning of the 19th century.

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The author describes their daily practices and lives providing expressive photographs in order to make readers understand better the harsh reality people had to live in.

Riis tends to show that live isn’t easy and requires hard work to either succeed or to survive. The author discusses major immigrant groups that came to the country during the mentioned period of time. However, the author seems to be rather prejudiced and stereotyped when portraying middle-class workers and immigrant. For example, when the author discusses Italians, he asserts they are slow learners and gamblers.

They are characterized as dumb and, therefore, they are often cheated on their pay roll.

Immigrants were told they would get paid well and housing would be allowed without any rent. Summing up, the book is well-written and photographs taken are expressive and vivid addition to attract readers and fill the story with realism. The auhtor provides detailed overview of lives of poor people in New York. The goal of the book is to inform the whole world about unfairness and poor treatment in the 18-19th centuries.

Works Cited

Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York. New York: Penguin Classic, 1997.