This was a difficult book to judge, since it’s primarily a photography book and I viewed a galley which was in black and white, while the final edition will be (at least partially) in color. However, it still gives a good sense of the layout and scope of the book. Iconic photographs, as well as lesser-known pictures, from the extensive collection of photographs taken by the FSA during the Great Depression show the devastation of the Dust Bowl, migrant workers, and daily life in rural America.
The collection is divided into regions, the south, midwest, west, and northeast, and focuses on a variety of photographers, bracketing the captioned pictures with profiles of the artists, context about the time period, and how the record of the Great Depression was important then and now. Thoughtful essays are included throughout, reflecting on the different ways the Great Depression affected people in different areas, the struggles with poverty and racism, and quotes from the people interviewed and photographed as well as from the photographers themselves.
While it does not necessarily stand well on its own, this would be a powerful accompaniment to titles like Crash by Marc Favreau, bringing the Great Depression and how it shaped the modern world, home through images.
Verdict: A must-have for school libraries serving middle school and high school students and a strong choice for any public libraries that have an audience with an interest in history.
ISBN: 9781536215250; Published October 2021 by Candlewick; Galley provided by publisher
No comments:
Post a Comment