liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Dorothea Lange is best known for her Depression-era photographs, but during World War II she was focused on a project that was in many ways more critical: photographing the internment of Japanese Americans (citizens and noncitizens both) in camps. She was working for the federal government, but only some of the government wanted her there—other parts of the government threw every road block they could manufacture in her path. Most of the photos weren't published at the time.
The book is split into a few sections, starting with some commentary and background on Lange's work and ending with her photographs, from pre-internment to internment itself. The commentary is so helpful, because the captions (which I believe are original to the time period) toe the line in many ways...the commentary notes that Lange was very sympathetic to the people interned, but the captions are so bland as to be positive because she was limited by what the government wanted and was willing to publish.
The book is wonderfully done, and it makes me so angry that this sort of thing made sense to the government...and that it hasn't been the end of it. The photos of interned women working on nets for the army, while incarcerated as potential enemies of the state...god. Or the fact that they had to stuff their own mattresses, or were housed in horse barns, or that they didn't have adequate medical care, or that their incarceration was described as 'evacuation'...oh, I've studied internment camps in classes before, and most of this isn't new to me, but it's infuriating nonetheless.
I might have preferred more text woven in with the photos (and perhaps larger copies of the photos, if that would have been possible?), but this was pretty excellent. Seems fitting for this day and age.
The book is split into a few sections, starting with some commentary and background on Lange's work and ending with her photographs, from pre-internment to internment itself. The commentary is so helpful, because the captions (which I believe are original to the time period) toe the line in many ways...the commentary notes that Lange was very sympathetic to the people interned, but the captions are so bland as to be positive because she was limited by what the government wanted and was willing to publish.
The book is wonderfully done, and it makes me so angry that this sort of thing made sense to the government...and that it hasn't been the end of it. The photos of interned women working on nets for the army, while incarcerated as potential enemies of the state...god. Or the fact that they had to stuff their own mattresses, or were housed in horse barns, or that they didn't have adequate medical care, or that their incarceration was described as 'evacuation'...oh, I've studied internment camps in classes before, and most of this isn't new to me, but it's infuriating nonetheless.
I might have preferred more text woven in with the photos (and perhaps larger copies of the photos, if that would have been possible?), but this was pretty excellent. Seems fitting for this day and age.
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly powerful. My own grandparents were interned but they have very few pictures of that time, especially not of keenly critical points in daily life (poor living conditions, etc.). It was moving to see even a small glimpse of what things really would have been like for them.
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent photography as one would expect. Lange did not shy away from using her art to make a point. But her point went only so far, as the included essays detail. Critical discussion of the photos was useful and interesting. Lange’s original captions, written in the moment, accompany each photo.
towardinfinitybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Don't skip the essays. The essays provide much-needed context for the photographs.
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Would recommend
Similar to when I read [b:Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement|401394|Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement|Danny Lyon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266544227s/401394.jpg|390802], I paid more attention to the photos than the text, but the impact is powerful. The photos are beautiful and heartbreaking, and everyone should at least leaf through this book to remember that Americans put other Americans in camps out of racism and fear.
Similar to when I read [b:Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement|401394|Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement|Danny Lyon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266544227s/401394.jpg|390802], I paid more attention to the photos than the text, but the impact is powerful. The photos are beautiful and heartbreaking, and everyone should at least leaf through this book to remember that Americans put other Americans in camps out of racism and fear.
gabbygarcia's review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death
Minor: Torture, Mental illness, and Gun violence
jchant's review
4.0
I checked this book out of the library as a follow up after reading [b:Learning to See|40042520|Learning to See|Elise Hooper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536787876l/40042520._SY75_.jpg|57738383], a novel about photographer Dorothea Lange, and a collection of her photography, [b:Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning|17786006|Dorothea Lange Grab a Hunk of Lightning|Elizabeth Partridge|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365989987l/17786006._SX50_.jpg|24873421].
This book is a collection of Lange's photographs taken for the infamous War Relocation Authority (WRA), which was responsible for interning thousands of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast during World War II. Lange's photographs were impounded for decades after the war, and published for the first time in 2006 in this book. Lange's stark black and white photographs are accompanied by two essays written by editors Linda Gordon and Gary Okihiro. Okihiro's essay was especially horrifying, detailing the inhuman treatment of American citizens and permanent residents. A cautionary tale; this could happen again. This is a very important book. Highly recommended.
This book is a collection of Lange's photographs taken for the infamous War Relocation Authority (WRA), which was responsible for interning thousands of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast during World War II. Lange's photographs were impounded for decades after the war, and published for the first time in 2006 in this book. Lange's stark black and white photographs are accompanied by two essays written by editors Linda Gordon and Gary Okihiro. Okihiro's essay was especially horrifying, detailing the inhuman treatment of American citizens and permanent residents. A cautionary tale; this could happen again. This is a very important book. Highly recommended.
bookhound's review
5.0
I love Dorothea Lange's photos and the historical descriptions of the Japanese-American internment during WWII are well done (if heartbreaking to read about).