A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Books are one of my favorite things.  (Hence all the posts about the books I've recently read.)  I love to hear about good books, so I also want to share about ones that I have appreciated finding.  Maybe they will pique your interest, too! 

Here are a couple of books that I found over the summer that are intriguing and unique. The first is called Material World by photojournalist Peter Menzel .  It is packed full of beautiful photos of families from around the world, with each family standing out in front of their home, with all of their possessions laid out around them.  The families chosen are of statistically average income from their country to ensure an accurate representation of each country.

In addition to the fascinating, detailed photos, it contains a plethora of information of the income, lifestyle, and values of families around the world.  I was taken aback when looking at the vast amount of "stuff" many of the more affluent countries had, compared to the minimal, meager amount of belongings from poorer countries.  I know about the difference of income and living conditions around the world, but to see it all side by side in pictures like this... it is worth a thousand words.

The image that sticks in my mind is the Ethiopian family picture.  They owned next to nothing.  Nothing colorful, nothing extra, nothing non-utilitarian, yet the father stood with arms spread out, proudly showing his belongings, with a smile spread wide across his face.  He looked so content, so proud, so eager to show us all that he has... I and thought, but you have nothing!  Nothing?  I looked at his family, looked at his smile, looked at his self-sufficiency (goat, chickens, field).  They seem to be doing rather well.  As for me thinking that they have nothing?  I think if I were to tell them that, they would prove me very wrong.  This book reinforced my penetrating question-statement how could I ask for more?

Similarly, Hungry Planet, again by Peter Menzel with his wife Faith D'Aluisio, follows the same premise as  Material World, only this time, the focus is on the amount of food each family eats in a week!  What a fascinating concept!  The families have their photo taken in their kitchens (some outdoors), with a week's worth of food displayed around them.  One family's food budget for the week was less than two dollars, while another was almost 500 dollars (no, it wasn't the US).  Such a huge disparity!  Once again, the families are statistically average for their country, no extreme or exaggerated representation.  The book also brings up more complex issues such as globalized food production, access to food, food quality, political conflict and the effect on food availability... there is much to chew on. (no pun intended!) 
The power of pictures in these books is extraordinary.

Intriguing, fascinating, absorbing, thought provoking, convicting... are you interested?

I bet your library has them!