As the city above soars gloriously skyward, the denizens of the city writhe in its dirty underbelly.

The Vertical City is a collection of six short stories by Fannie Hurst . Each story, tells in gritty, dramatic style, of ugly inner city tragedy: unwed mothers, women doing what they need to do in order to escape poverty, or loneliness… A mother can literally give her life in the attempt to provide a better life for her child, and even then she may fail because her love, protection and guidance, cannot overcome the depravity of the environment.

Stories included here are: She Walks In Beauty, Back Pay, The Vertical City, The Smudge, Guilty, and Roulette. Summary by Lisa Reichert