Ernest Poole 
His Family 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. <i>His Family</i> is a fictional novel by Ernest Poole. This novel tells the story of a middle-class family set against the gritty backdrop of New York City. Taking place at the turn of twentieth century, the novel benefits from modern romanticism of the 1910s as a fairytale age, the years before the first World War. This story centers around Roger Gale, a widower and family patriarch who struggles to deal with societal changes and in particular the changes his daughters and grandchildren undergo as society shifts into a new decade. As each of his daughters respond in a variety of ways to the situations they find themselves in, Roger is forced into acting as peacekeeper. He attempts to maintain the peace in a family challenged by conflict, in a world on the brink of war. <br><br>Exploring society of the 1910s, <i>His Family</i> gives voice to the impoverished immigrant children filling the streets of New York City without food or shelter. The book also examines changes in farming of livestock during the period and the introduction and impact of industrialization on agriculture . Finally, the book delves deeply into the impact of World War I. Exploring how the war affected not just individuals, but also the business community, the immigrant community of New York, and families who faced stark very stark realities of death and change. <br><br>The 1910s is wrought with a sundry of historic events such as wartime battles and the sinking of passenger ships which deeply altered individual lives and family lives as many soldiers and civilians paid the ultimate cost of war. This novel received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. A work of art praised by critics, and that which stands out among other works of fiction.