This novella is a pioneering work of American realism that delves into the bleak and oppressive lives of 19th-century industrial workers. Set in the grimy, smog-filled milieu of an iron mill, the story follows Hugh Wolfe, a talented Welsh mill worker who, despite his aspirations and artistic abilities, is trapped in a life of poverty and hard labor. The narrative exposes the harsh conditions faced by the working class, including environmental degradation, exploitation, and the lack of social mobility, while also critiquing the apathy of the upper classes and the moral complexities surrounding the pursuit of wealth at the expense of human dignity. Through its vivid imagery and empathetic portrayal of its characters, the novella offers a powerful examination of the human cost of industrialization and the societal indifference to the plight of the laboring poor.

This memoir recounts the unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing the author and her siblings had at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents. Their father, an alcoholic, and their mother, an eccentric artist, frequently neglected them, leaving them to fend for themselves. Despite their parents' personal struggles, they instilled a love of learning and a sense of self-sufficiency in their children, which helped them to escape their chaotic home life and build successful lives as adults.