A prolific 19th-century American author whose principal output was formulaic juvenile novels. Many of Alger's works have been described as rags to riches stories, illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, determination, and concern for others. He attended Harvard University at the age of 16. He worked at a Unitarian church after graduating and got caught in a pederastic scandal with two teenage boys. He then resigned. His writing never got him rich and all the money he made went to homeless and underpriveleged boys.