16 - Making of an American by Jacob A. Riis

Jacob Riis, a renowned reporter and documentary photographer, offers a poignant glimpse into his life in New York City. Through his autobiography, he vividly recounts his tumultuous early years and relentless pursuit of love in Denmark, followed by his transformative journey as a struggling immigrant in the United States. His experiences as a journalist in the bustling, impoverished immigrant neighborhoods of lower Manhattan ignited his fervor for social reform. Riis poignantly asserts in his opening note, “To those who have been asking if they are made-up stories, let me say here that they are not.” NOTE Elizabeths letter (In Chapter 7) is read by Ann Boulais. – Lee Smalley