Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, Jr.

arts · EN-US

A fourteen year old homeless boy, Dick, tries to make an honest living in the streets of 1860s New York as a bootblack. He is determined to stay honorable, though he is tempted many times to easy pickings and a life of crime. When a regular customer is impressed by Dick's integrity and invites him to his mansion, this marks a turning point in the life of the young street-smart teenager.Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger Jr was first published in 1868. It represents a typical coming of age story in which a child attains the maturity of adulthood through circumstances in which important choices are made. It was the first in a six-series set written by the prolific American writer, best known for his stories of young boys who overcome poverty and social disadvantages to become assimilated in the great American middle class. Many of Alger's stories follow a well-known theme and formula but were extremely well-received and popular among readers of a previous generation. Ragged Dick was an insta