It was the turn of the 20th century--a time of explosive growth for American cities, a time of nascent hopes and apparently limitless possibilities. Author David Nasaw has recreated this period in our social history from the vantage point of the children who grew up there. Drawing on hundreds of memoirs, autobiographies, oral histories, and unpublished--and until now unexamined--primary source materials from cities across the country, he provides us with a warm and eloquent portrait of these children, their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.--From publisher description.