How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York

Written by Jacob A. Riis

Narrated by Yosef Kant and Christ Matthews

"How the Other Half Lives" is a groundbreaking work that delves into the gritty reality of life in the tenements of New York City at the end of the 19th century. Through the innovative use of photography coupled with vivid narrative journalism, Jacob Riis exposes the dire living conditions, overcrowding, and stark poverty faced by immigrants and the urban poor. This book is not just a collection of images and stories; it is a powerful call to action, intended to arouse the conscience of its readers and advocate for significant social reform. Riis’s work brought to light the unseen hardship endured by many, making it a crucial piece of social documentary that influenced future generations of photographers, journalists, and reformers. It remains a poignant reminder of the power of media to instigate change and the enduring need for compassion and intervention in addressing urban poverty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Release date: Apr 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798875122507

Jacob A. Riis

Jacob August Riis (May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He contributed significantly to the cause of urban reform in America at the turn of the twentieth century. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography. He endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller. Additionally, as one of the most famous proponents of the newly practicable casual photography, he is considered one of the fathers of photography due to his very early adoption of flash. While living in New York, Riis experienced poverty and became a police reporter writing about the quality of life in the slums. He attempted to alleviate the bad living conditions of poor people by exposing their living conditions to the middle and upper classes.