In this eye-opening work of American history, Todd DePastino tells the epic story of the veritable army of homeless men that swept across America after the Civil War and crafts a stunning new interpretation of the "American century" in the process. Drawing on sources ranging from diaries, letters, and police reports to movies and memoirs, Citizen Hobo breathes life into the largely forgotten world of the road, but it also, crucially, shows how the hobo army so haunted the American body politic that it prompted the creation of an entirely new social order and political economy. In its breadth and scope, the book offers nothing less than an essential new context for thinking about Americans' struggles against inequality and alienation.
Reviews
"Homelessness in America did not begin during the Depression, but after the Civil War, when 'hobo-hemia' threatened to rule the nation's roads and dominate its cities. Todd DePastino's history of the disaffected on the move breaks new ground, explaining how the hobo army prompted radical changes in the social order and economy that persist today." - Lee Milazzo, Dallas Morning News"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226143798
Author Todd DePastino
Format Paperback
Page Count 350
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 2mm