City-Building in America Book

3.5 stars, but I'll round up all day long for anything by Jacob Riis. It only took me FOREVER to finish this one, but I'm glad I did because I never tire of the triumphant demonstration of the goodness of humankind that Riis so often uses to close his books.

I'm consistently struck by how timely Riis's work is, even though it was written over a century ago. He discusses immigration, crime, and the education system, all of which are still very much apart of the modern political conversation. After "the Other Half" Riis did not stop fighting for justice in the slums of Manhattan. He fought long and hard, updating the public, in this particular book, about all the reform that had been done over the years. He admits that there is a long way to go, but he does not say so regretfully. He admits it ready to embrace the challenge.

I love that Riis put so much of his efforts into the betterment of the lives and education of poor children. He wants the best for them because he knows they are the future. His discussion of the centrality of the home and good citizenship was also very interesting.

I look forward to reading more of Riis's work, as he is such an underrated figure in American history.