Phil is one of the boy musicians sent out every day to fiddle on the streets of New York and hand his earnings to a padrone who beats those who come home short. When his fiddle is stolen and punishment looms, he runs away, finding friends, enemies and a ferry boat to new chances. Alger researched the story among New York’s Italian community.
Alger’s exposé of child exploitation helped draw public attention to the padrone system of the 1870s. Download the free EPUB.