Hoboes: Wandering in America, 1870-1940

The wanderer who rides the rails and sleeps under the stars is one of the most romantic figures in American culture; here Wormser ( The Iron Horse: How the Railroads Changed America ) offers an intriguing look at the facts behind the legends. The era of the hobo, he explains, coincided with the growth of industrialization and the building of the railroads, and it ended with the advent of WW II. In those 60 years, millions of Americans traveled the country in a seasonal cycle of searching for work. While the text is uneven and somewhat repetitious, the research is thorough and Wormser covers fascinating ground. Of particular interest are discussions of the great art of train riding, the strict class system and variegated subculture of hobo society, gay relationships within the hobo community, and the hard work generally undertaken by hoboes (despite popular views of them as indolent bums). Most provocative is the exploration of relations between hoboes and civil rights and labor organizers; unionization and workers' rights, claims the author, owe a debt to hobo ingenuity. Historical photographs are included. Ages 10-up. (May)