Showing results for "Hagen" in Coming of Age

Ragged Dick is the story of a young bootblack living and working in the streets of a post-Civil War New York City. It follows his rise from a street kid to the respectable middle class. The original publication came to depict a time of post-war struggle through the eyes of its young victims, vagabond children. Originally written as young-adult moral tales using the classic rags-to-riches theme, Ragged Dick is also Algers' timeless snapshot into an all but forgotten period in American history.

The Sorrows of Young Werther is a loosely based autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was first published in 1774 and is one of the most famous-and infamous-works in the history of literature. Werther, a sensitive young man falls in love with Lotte, a sweet-natured girl he meets while visitng an idyllic German village. Although Lotte is betrothed to Albert, Werther’s infatuation with her torments him to the point of despair and suicide.

Finding himself caught in the grind of working in the downtown restaurant scene and nightlife, Hayden seeks a break through an acting program. While working to develop his craft and hone his acting skills, Hayden becomes enraptured by a beautiful young model, Camilla Arden, who he tries to woo over the course of the program, when she is not out trotting the globe. Landing a job at an exclusive downtown restaurant, Hayden struggles to make his dreams a reality.