The Setting: 1906-1910 New York City

Recommended Grade Level: 7-12

Suggested Area of Study and Discussion: Ragtime the Novel; The Struggle New Immigrants; Ragtime Music: Origins and History; Early 20th Century Historical Figures: Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan; Racial Discrimination

The Story: Based on the award winning novel by E. L. Doctorow, this sweeping epic, rich with the syncopated new music of 1906, portrays the daily struggle of a disillusioned immigrant, a successful ragtime pianist and a suburban white housewife who each strive to claim a place in the evolving character of early 20th Century America. As their lives intertwine and then collide, the characters and events of the early 20th Century come into focus. Peopled with the likes of Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan, this exciting and rich story will bring to life a period of history during which the seeds of contemporary American culture were sown.