"HOBOES: Wandering in America, 1870-1940"

by Richard Wormser ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 1994

An engaging account of the penurious workers who crisscrossed America as ""internal refugees"" from the Industrial Revolution. Quoting numerous wanderers and their sympathizers, Wormser paints a colorful picture of the hardships of life on the road and the attraction it held for boys without other prospects, drawing important distinctions between hoboes (workers), tramps (criminals), and bums (lazy drunkards) and truly bringing the era to life. The many excellent b&w photos and other period illustrations are reproduced large enough to make clear such telling details as facial expressions or extravagant promises made by signs outside ""slave markets"" (labor contracting agencies). Class and racial conflicts and homosexual seductions are discreetly mentioned. In a final chapter, Wormser explains significant differences between hoboes of the past and today's homeless. Informative and fascinating. Glossary; bibliography; index.

Pub Date: May 2, 1994

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Walker

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994

Categories: CHILDREN'S