The Making of an American by Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis, a Danish-American journalist and social reformer, is best known for his groundbreaking work titled "How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York." The book, which was published in 1890, is an exposé on the living conditions of the poor in New York City's tenements, and it remains a seminal work on the subject to this day. However, before Riis published his magnum opus, he wrote a memoir titled "The Making of an American." In this post, we will examine the making of "The Making of an American." Riis's memoir is an account of his life as an immigrant in America, and it charts his rise from a penniless Danish immigrant to a successful journalist and reformer. The book was published in 1901, more than a decade after "How the Other Half Lives," and it reflects Riis's continued commitment to social reform. "The Making of an American" is also significant because it provides a rare glimpse into the l...