Children of the Whirlwind

What It's About

Set on a shabby, unremarkable New York street, the novel follows Maggie Carlisle, who lives with her petty-criminal father, Old Jimmie, and their sharp-tongued landlady, the Duchess. Maggie longs for a better life, and her feelings are stirred by the return of Larry Brainard, a charming but flawed man with a criminal past of his own. As the two are drawn together, the novel traces the tension between the pull of the underworld they know and the possibility of an honest, respectable future.

Key Concepts

The book is built around the conflict between crime and redemption, and the difficulty of escaping a life once it has shaped you. It also explores ambition and class, showing characters who yearn to rise out of poverty and disrepute, and questions whether people can be judged purely by their past. Scott, who had a background in social reform work, brings a degree of sympathy to characters usually cast simply as criminals.

About the Author

Leroy Scott (1875–1929) was an American writer and social activist. Before turning to fiction, he worked as a journalist and spent time at Chicago's Hull House and New York's University Settlement House, experiences that shaped his interest in social conditions and reform. He was also a founder of the Intercollegiate Socialist Society.