Horatio Alger, Jr. was born on January 13, 1832. He wrote over 100 novels for boys, using his experiences helping orphans and runaways as fodder for his stories. Although his works are now considered by many to be formulaic and poorly written, his name has become almost synonymous with the idea of the classic rags to riches story. In fact, if you'd like to learn more about this iconic American author, you might like to check out From Rags to Riches; Horatio Alger, Jr. and the American Dream from the Milwaukee Public Library.
