Sandler, Martin W. Picturing a Nation: The Great Depression’s Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself. Non-fiction. Candlewick, 10/2021. 165pp. $24.99. 978-1-5362-1525-0. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 7-12.
The Farm Security Administration started a project in 1935 where noted photographers were hired to document what Americans were going through, from struggling farmers and migrants fleeing the Dust Bowl, to those in cities who were unemployed or those who were able to find work. Led by Roy Stryker, photographers who did this work included Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, and Arthur Rothstein. The book is organized by the country’s regions: South, West, Midwest, and Northeast with short but clear texts and many captioned b&w and color photos making up the bulk of the material. The photos helped motivate legislation to assist poor and struggling people and added significantly to the history of the Great Depression with landmark photos such as Lange’s “Migrant Mother.” Useful in the study of the history of photography as well as the Great Depression, this will appeal to a wide age range (including adults). The book ends with source notes, an index, a bibliography, photo credits, and two-page biographies of ten of the notable artists who contributed to the project. This book has California-specific content.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University, iSchool