just couldn't get into it. maybe it has something to do with the subject matter of the previous book i read. and i'm sure it had something to do with the fact that for some reason the font size in the book was the size of the typical footnote. maybe another time, another addition.

For a book about social reform that is 122 years old it was quite interesting. It was conflicting in the author's portrayal of the poor and wanting change yet he was still very judgmental and racist against immigrants. He was an immigrant. A good historical read for some eye-opening about how things have changed and yet not really changed in 122 years. ( )

So insightful but a touch of a bore to read. Who could be surprised! Very glad I did it though. ( )

Note: I actually have the 1971 paperback edition so it doesn't have the Luc Sante introduction.

Required reading for anyone who likes to harp on about the 'good old days'. The photographs are deeply affecting even after a gap of over 100 years. The faces look familiar - we see destitute people on the news all the time. The text contains some interesting anecdotes, once you get past the florid Victorian writing style and the of-the-time racial stereotypes (the chapter on Chinatown is particularly eye-popping). The final chapter is a great example of well-thought-out social reform planning (although Riis seemed to have an unwarranted amount of faith in the altruism of private business) and would be of interest to anyone involved in social work, town planning and similar disciplines. ( )

It is the photographs that make this such an enduring book. Calls for reform, the impact of different nationalities and communities on New York City's tenements all dissolve before the captivating images. People striving to earn a few pennies collecting flowers, the endless trek of people scurrying on their way to what . . . ? And in almost every photo I kept seeing a recurring theme: the search for individual dignity. This was an era in which culture disseminated from the top social classes to the bottom. Thus in photo after photo, even the dirtiest, over worn, patched garment echoes the top hats and business suits of the social elite. Look closely, and you will easily see the inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's character of the The Tramp, a humorous albeit melancholy figure in search of self worth and dignity, in the pictures. ( )