Trama e riassunto di Come vive l'altra metà

A chi è rivolto

This is for readers who love social history, investigative reporting and the story of how cities grow. It also speaks to anyone curious about immigrant New York or the roots of housing reform.

Che cos’è questo libro

What happens in a room twelve feet square where five families, twenty people, share two beds? Jacob A. Riis cites records of such rooms. He was a police reporter for a New York newspaper, and he climbed tenement stairs at all hours with a notebook and a camera that needed a flash of powder.

In 1890 he gathered what he saw into How the Other Half Lives. It rests on Health Board reports, police records, charity files and his own midnight visits. You walk with him through alleys, cellars, sweatshops and lodging houses, and you hear the figures no honest citizen could ignore. He also offers a practical answer, built on business as much as pity.

Questions about Come vive l'altra metà

What is How the Other Half Lives about?

It is a study of life in the tenements of New York in 1890. Riis describes how they began, who lived in them, what people paid, how they worked, and what reforms might help.

What does the other half mean in the title?

It refers to the poorer half of the city, living in tenements, whom the comfortable half rarely sees. Riis argues that the boundary between the two halves runs through the tenements.

Is How the Other Half Lives a true story and when was it written?

Yes, it is nonfiction, published in 1890. Riis draws on city records, Health Board and police reports, charity files, and his own visits as a newspaper reporter, and he took photographs in many of the places he describes.

Is How the Other Half Lives easy to read?

Riis writes in a lively reporter's voice with short chapters, vivid scenes and plain facts. Each chapter takes one place or group, such as the Bend, the sweatshops, or the newsboys, so you can follow it step by step.

What solution does Riis propose for the tenements?

He calls for strict health laws, informed public pressure and model tenements run as fair businesses. His slogan is philanthropy and five percent, meaning decent homes can yield a reasonable profit if managers care for tenants.