Picturing a Nation

July 12, 2021
Under the aegis of the Farm Security Administration’s Historical Section, photographers—including Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, and Ben Shahn—captured images that became iconic emblems of their time. In this volume, Sandler adroitly explains how this unprecedented project—a collection of “two hundred thousand photographs and negatives” designed to capture “a visual encyclopedia of American life”—came to be, tracing the project’s formation and execution under the visionary leadership of photographer and government official Roy Stryker. Though the photographs, organized geographically, speak for themselves, Sandler’s choice of framing materials—quotes from the artists and photography critics—affirm the images’ importance as historical documents over what makes the images “good.” It’s a useful resource, collecting images that continue to define certain national visions and mythologies (small towns as “America’s Heartland”; farmers as the country’s “backbone”). Includes capsule biographies of the photographers and Stryker. Ages 10–14.

Starred review from August 1, 2021

Gr 7 Up-This is a vivid account of the photographers the Farm Security Administration (FSA) tasked with documenting the work of FSA agents as they helped distressed farmers during the Great Depression. But these esteemed photographers, including Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks, soon found themselves telling a story of America. As the FSA's Roy Stryker wrote at the time: "The task has been to confront the people with each other, the urban with the rural, the inhabitants of one section with those of other sections of the country, in order to promote a wider and more sympathetic understanding of one for the other." Discarding their photos of government agents at work, they focused on "introducing America to Americans." National Book Award winner Sandler divides the photos into regions with a short introduction to each region. The photos are captioned with information about the image, composition, and quotes from the photographers. The selection of images reveals the diverse nature of Americans and their lives during the Depression. This powerful collection will challenge many pre-held ideas about life in the early-20th century and leave a lasting impression on readers. Sandler includes profiles of the photographers and source notes. VERDICT This is a great example of the power of visually documenting history. It will provide important human commentary in history classes and will be enjoyed by both history and photography enthusiasts. Recommended for all libraries.-Cathy DeCampli, Haddonfield P.L., NJ

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2021
Sandler (The Dust Bowl Through the Lens, rev. 1/10; Imprisoned, rev. 7/13) shows how a band of intrepid photographers set out to picture America during the Great Depression and ended up establishing documentary photography as "a major creative field of art." Franklin Roosevelt created the Resettlement Administration, later renamed the Farm Security Administration (FSA), to support families about to lose their farms. Within the FSA was the Historical Section, staffed by out-of-work photographers sent out to document families' struggles. Headed by Roy Stryker, the FSA attracted such now-legendary artists as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, and Ben Shahn. Sandler organizes his chronicle by region -- the South, Midwest, West, and Northeast -- to survey the two-hundred-thousand pictures compiled from all across America and together providing a visual record of a "certain way of life just before it ceased to exist." Beautifully reproduced images in both black-and-white and color, with informative captions and lively quotations accompanying many of them, augment Sandler's authoritative and elegantly written text. Add this fine volume to other superb accounts of the Great Depression: Jerry Stanley's Children of the Dust Bowl (1992), Elizabeth Partridge's Restless Spirit (rev. 3/99), Russell Freedman's Children of the Great Depression (rev. 1/06). Back matter includes profiles of the key figures who contributed to "what is widely regarded as the largest, most captivating and compassionate photographic collection ever compiled," extensive source notes, a bibliography, photography credits, and an index (unseen). Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from October 1, 2021
In 1935, as part of its effort to support farmers, the Resettlement Administration (later renamed the Farm Security Administration) began a photography program. With remarkable foresight, project administrator Roy Stryker recognized that the photographers should move beyond the stated goal of photographing government agents providing aid: He instructed his talented team to create images that "introduced America to Americans." The best American photographers, many unemployed, participated, crafting achingly honest images of desperation and hope, many of which later became iconic. Later Stryker would prevent the destruction of the huge archive of photographs at a time when few recognized its value as both a historical record and as brilliant art. Sandler has gathered together both familiar images and ones less often reproduced, most in black and white but some in color. A general overview of the project is followed by sets of photographs arranged by region. Each group is accompanied by an introduction that provides context by describing issues significant to the area. Informative captions can be challenging to read, displayed in small white font on a dark background. Although the text is both accurate and engaging, the greatest value of this effort may be in reaching those who just browse the beautifully reproduced images that are outstanding in depicting both challenges and the heroic human response in a difficult time. Profiles of the photographers (almost all White, save for Gordon Parks, an African American) enhance an already excellent presentation. Stunning. (source notes, bibliography, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 11-adult)

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Starred review from September 15, 2021
Grades 5-9 *Starred Review* The government project to record life in America during the Great Depression was unlike anything attempted in the U.S. before or since. Sandler follows Roy Stryker's team of monumentally talented photographers into the different regions of the U.S.--the text is organized into sections on the American South, Midwest, West, and Northeast--where they captured poverty and distress run rampant, as well as joyful moments and uninterrupted luxury. At its most basic, this book is about the photos taken for the Historical Section of the Farm Security Administration, created to help farming families suffering from--and often displaced by--the Depression and Dust Bowl. However, in discussing and showing these individuals, Sandler touches on historical and social circumstances of the time, including racism and economic disparities, the power and artistic merits of photography, and the particular talents of those behind the lens. Readers will get to know a star-studded roster of photographers (Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Jack Delano, Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott) through their iconic photos and some well-chosen quotes, while the images and their captions reveal much about the life and times of their subjects; short biographies are also appended. Meticulously researched and documented, this enlightening history, distinct from Sandler's The Dust Bowl through the Lens (2009), will captivate readers and photography fans.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Sandler (The Dust Bowl Through the Lens, rev. 1/10; Imprisoned, rev. 7/13) shows how a band of intrepid photographers set out to picture America during the Great Depression and ended up establishing documentary photography as "a major creative field of art." Franklin Roosevelt created the Resettlement Administration, later renamed the Farm Security Administration (FSA), to support families about to lose their farms. Within the FSA was the Historical Section, staffed by out-of-work photographers sent out to document families' struggles. Headed by Roy Stryker, the FSA attracted such now-legendary artists as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, and Ben Shahn. Sandler organizes his chronicle by region -- the South, Midwest, West, and Northeast -- to survey the two-hundred-thousand pictures compiled from all across America and together providing a visual record of a "certain way of life just before it ceased to exist." Beautifully reproduced images in both black-and-white and color, with informative captions and lively quotations accompanying many of them, augment Sandler's authoritative and elegantly written text. Add this fine volume to other superb accounts of the Great Depression: Jerry Stanley's Children of the Dust Bowl (1992), Elizabeth Partridge's Restless Spirit (rev. 3/99), Russell Freedman's Children of the Great Depression (rev. 1/06). Back matter includes profiles of the key figures who contributed to "what is widely regarded as the largest, most captivating and compassionate photographic collection ever compiled," extensive source notes, a bibliography, photography credits, and an index (unseen).

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)