This book has long been considered the very first graphic novel. There is an introduction that Will Eisner gives about how this is different from the comic strips and the comic books from his childhood. And different it is. The stories don’t shy away from the hardships or the mundane in things. It is very much a product of its time and of the time it’s written about. The story takes place in the 30s in New York. We follow the residence of a tenement house in their ups and downs. Before reading this be aware of trigger warnings, there is sexual assault. There is women bashing. There is domestic violence, and there is reality. This was an interesting look at the time and a sad one. It’s hard to believe that the vast format of graphic novels that are available in the world today, spark from such an interesting and heartbreaking story, I understand why the Eisner award for the best graphic novel of the year was created. Eisner did it first and so far, he’s done it best. He’s told a story in a format that people would not expect that story to take. He made it real, and he made it one for the history books.  While not a story I would hand to other people, it is an interesting first step in the history of American graphic novels.