47 pages • 1 hour read
Jacob RiisHow the Other Half Lives
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1890A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
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.
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.