Have you ever read a book that changed your life? There is a children’s book series that can certainly help you do that. It’s not written recently, but young people everywhere back when it was written loved it. There is an entire society out there dedicated to preserving the memory of this book series, because it has such power and impact on people when they read it. The truths taught by the author are broad enough to not only teach young people, but can teach adults not only then, but today as well.
Are you a libertarian? A conservative? Voluntaryist? Constitutionalist? Hey even some liberals might get behind these books, if they’ll just get past the idea that “the poor” is some stagnant unchanging population who always remains in a perpetual state of poverty.
Now you can’t laugh at the name of the first book in the series of our hero, because the poor guy was given a nickname that today has negative meaning. Back then it was just short for Richard. Poor people back then were said to wear rags for clothes, so the name of the book follows then “Ragged Dick” written by Horatio Alger.
The plot is, a very poor early teenaged boy who lives as an orphan on the streets of New York realizes that he wants to make something of himself, due to a chance encounter with a young man, who inspired him to better himself. He boot straps himself over time out of poverty, into a home, and eventually makes his way in New York.
These books were written in the middle 1800’s and were hugely popular for young people to read. It gave kids the feeling that if Ragged Dick could do it with hard work, perseverance, fortitude, and a little luck here and there, anyone could do it. Life is theirs for the taking, you just need to work hard, be honest, and jump at chances when you are confronted with opportunity.
I just discovered Horatio Alger a few years ago, and am just about to introduce my 10 year old son to these timeless books. I hope you will read them and share them also. They are worth the read!
