This classic title, which was the inspiration for the story behind the new musical Newsies, paints a surprising
and indelible portrait of the bitter hardships, amazing resourcefulness, and unadulterated joys experienced by
immigrant children in American metropolises at the turn of the century.
The turn of the century was a time of explosive growth for American cities, a time of nascent hopes and apparently
limitless possibilities. In Children of the City, David Nasaw re-creates this period in our social history from
the vantage point of the children who grew up then. Drawing on hundreds of memoirs, autobiographies, oral histories
and unpublished--and until now unexamined--primary source materials from cities across the country, he provides
us with a warm and eloquent portrait of these children, their families, their daily lives, their fears, and their
dreams.
Illustrated with 68 photographs from the period, many never before published, Children of the City offers a vibrant
portrait of a time when our cities and our grandparents were young.