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How the Other Half Lives
Written by Jacob Riis set fire to the city's social reform movement with the publication of this book. Riis' book used graphic descriptions, sketches, photographs, and cold statistics to chronicle the squalor of New York's East Side district. Riis book was thick with opinions of the middle and upper classes. Much of his sympathy for the poor likely came from his own experience as an immigrant. -
The History of the Standard Oil Company
Written by Ida Tarbell, The History of the Standard Oil Company was an exposé of the Standard Oil Company, run at that time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure in America's history. Her information came from some of Rockefeller's partners in the business. The book was a seminal example of muckraking (known today as "investigative journalism") and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts. -
The Shame of Cities
The Shame of Cities was written by Lincoln Steffens and exposed political corruption across America's greatest cities at the turn of the twentieth century. Urban political corruption remained a particularly popular target, and in 1904 Steffens collected and published his writings in many different cities. -
The Jungle
Written by Upton Sinclair, this book was a portrait of the meat packing factory. A grim indictment that led to government regulations of the food industry. This book was Sinclair's strong contribution to literature and social reform. It led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Administration.
