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S'està carregant… DownTown U.S.A.: A Personal Journey with the Homelessde Susan Madden Lankford
Cap No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. 2   TooBusyReading | May 8, 2011 | 
 If a single picture says a thousand words, then a book of carefully crafted photographs accompanied by written testimonials and personal accounts can convey a tremendous story. Without preaching, this photo essay is a warning that society cannot ignore its fringe elements. The book is the second in a trilogy chronicling life on the edge. The first, Maggots in my Sweet Potatoes, addressed the lives of women in prison. The third, Born, Not Raised, will explore young people confronting life in juvenile hall. A Web site, humanexposures.com, contains several excellent multimedia essays tied to the books. (September)
With downTown U.S.A., the second in a trilogy of books on crucial social issues published by Humane Exposures Publishing, photojournalist Susan Madden Lankford takes her cameras onto the streets of downtown San Diego. Combining stunning images, a rich personal narrative, and a range of authentic voices from the streets, downTown U.S.A. paints a complex, thought-provoking portrait of a population at risk and sheds new light on the difficult issue of homeless-ness. In the early 1990s, Lankford rented an old San Diego jail for commercial photography. The homeless in the area, curious about the woman and her work, frequently watched from the sidelines. They began to befriend her, trust her intentions, and tell her about their world. The characters emerging from these pages are diverse and intriguing, forcing us to examine our misconceptions of the homeless as individuals to be avoided or ignored. Among them are twenty-something Jed, who sleeps in a cardboard wardrobe and guides Lankford through the city s underbelly; eighty-year-old Mrs. Walton, who lives in the midst of filth on a vacant lot she once owned; and Michael, whose present-day voice throws his former street life into stark re-lief. What shines through Lankford s work is a passion and tenacity that is rare in any form. In-sightful and empathetic, she never passes judgment on her subjects. Instead, she urges her reader to take a closer look at the at causes as well as the consequences of homelessness, to examine a system that offers no viable safety net for the denizens of our streets, and to seek solutions that will create a better future for society as a whole. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
Autor de LibraryThingSusan Madden Lankford és un autor/a de LibraryThing, un autor/a que afegeix la seva biblioteca personal a LibraryThing. pàgina del perfil | pàgina de l'autor també és l'autor Susan Madden Lankford. Debats actualsCapCobertes populars
 Google Books — S'està carregant…GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)070Information Journalism And Publishing Journalism And PublishingLCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana: (5)
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Photojournalist Susan Madden Lankford rented an old jail in San Diego because she thought it would be great for commercial photography. Instead, it lead her to create a beautiful, insightful look at the homeless, the second in a trilogy of books addressing social issues that affect all of us, even when we don't realize it.
The black-and-white photography is stark, beautiful, touching, and the book is worthy on that basis alone. When you read the stories behind the photos, you can't help but be moved. For most of us lucky ones, the concept of homelessness is almost unimaginable. We may be disgusted by the homeless, blame them, wonder for a brief moment about how they ended up as they are, and we may even have sympathy for them. We may give them a buck or two or we may ignore them, pretend they are invisible to us. But we too often think of them as a group, not as individuals.
Ms. Lankford doesn't just write about this strata of society, she talks to them. She tells us what they have to say. She quotes them and photographs them as we discover their stories. She doesn't gush or preach. She doesn't judge. She shows.
Yes, many of them have serious mental issues. Yes, many of them abuse drugs and alcohol. Many of them sell themselves. And some are mean, cruel people that I wouldn't like under the best of circumstances. But many others are good people who have made bad mistakes or are incapable of living as the rest of us do. They've fallen through the cracks and too often there is no way up.
There are dogs in these stories, lots of dogs like Pep and Misery. Some are loved and given the best care that their people can manage. Some are not. They, too, fall through the cracks, and they can break your heart.
I loved the first book of this trilogy, Maggots in My Sweet Potatoes: Women Doing Time, about incarcerated women. I didn't expect this one to live up to the high standards set by it, and I was entirely wrong. The third book, Born, Not Raised, is due for publication this month, and I can't imagine that I will be disappointed in it. Note: I just have learned that this newest book will be released on September 1, 2011, not this month as I had thought.
Thank you to the author and Humane Exposures Publishing for giving me a copy of Downtown U.S.A., but that did not affect my review. I love this book. (