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44th out of 60 books
—
27 voters
The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War
During the final, bloody days of South African apartheid, four remarkable young men-photographers, friends, and rivals-banded together
Paperback, 254 pages
Published
September 20th 2001
by Basic Books
(first published January 1st 2000)
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This is an easy read about four photographers in South Africa who photographed the township wars between the political parties the ANC and Inkatha. These wars occured in the early 90s as the country geared up for its first democratic elections in 1994. The book is also an interesting treatment of the moral problems associated with artists (like photographers) whose jobs demand that they witness people's pain but do little more than be a witness of it.
A phenomenal book. Taken from the perspective of war photographers who are there to capture the last, bloody days of Apartheid in South Africa. This book provides more than sufficient background on the history behind Apartheid, without overwhelming the reader. The toll that this conflict took on these 4 photogs and on everyday folks in South Africa is artfully presented in the bang bang club.
With the two authors being South African and the book recounting predominantly events from the period around the abolishment of apartheid, it's surprising the authors and copy editors let a common misconception slip.
The book claims that, during the Soweto Uprisings on June 16th 1976, Hector Pieterson (which the book spells as Petersen) was the first to die, which is debatable, at best, but generally considered to be wrong. Most certainly, he was not the first child to be shot, as this was Hasti...more
The book claims that, during the Soweto Uprisings on June 16th 1976, Hector Pieterson (which the book spells as Petersen) was the first to die, which is debatable, at best, but generally considered to be wrong. Most certainly, he was not the first child to be shot, as this was Hasti...more
The sentence that best summarizes this poignant read for me is from page 153, "Good pictures. Tragedy and violence certainly make powerful images. It is what we get paid for. But there is a price extracted with every such frame: some of the emotion, the vulnerability, the empathy that makes us human, is lost every time the shutter is released." Although you won't know this while reading, it perhaps explains why Greg Marinovich is no longer shooting conflict.
While this book is the story of deep...more
While this book is the story of deep...more
Riveting, graphic, tragic . . . this is the story of four "living on the edge" photojournalists who essentially broke the horrors of South African apartheid in living color to the international world. It is told in startlingly frank detail by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva, the only two journalists still alive at the time. This book presents a human side while revealing just how heinous is the institution of apartheid. This story should be told in all its shocking detail, to sugar coat it in any...more
A perspectiva de Greg Marinovich é pessoal e implacável.
Sem dúvida falta uma narrativa mais fluida, mas seus autores (João Silva foi colaborador) são fotógrafos e não romancistas, e por isso (ou ainda assim) o livro vale as cinco estrelas.
As histórias oferecem e capturam de forma sincera os últimos anos do apartheid na África do Sul até o momento da eleição de Nelson Mandela e seus desdobramentos políticos e, principalmente, as conseqüências emocionais sofridas pelo "clube do bangue-bangue".
Greg...more
Sem dúvida falta uma narrativa mais fluida, mas seus autores (João Silva foi colaborador) são fotógrafos e não romancistas, e por isso (ou ainda assim) o livro vale as cinco estrelas.
As histórias oferecem e capturam de forma sincera os últimos anos do apartheid na África do Sul até o momento da eleição de Nelson Mandela e seus desdobramentos políticos e, principalmente, as conseqüências emocionais sofridas pelo "clube do bangue-bangue".
Greg...more
Relentless, honest, personal, and grating: just like the Bang-Bang Club shot its photos of a bleeding South Africa. We’ve all seen their images at one point or another in the years leading up to, and after, the first free elections; these are the unrestrained words of the few good men who took it upon themselves to visually document those violent days in a violent country. We run with them as they sprint through the war zones and show us their hellish inner worlds, which eventually led to hefty...more
This became my South African book in my 257 book challenge quite by accident. I have had it for a while – I tend to buy South African books at airports and obviously on that trip got side-tracked and didn’t read my purchase. I remembered it the other day and dived in. and pretty much swam to the end with maybe one breath.
It’s a cracker of a read with only a few slightly less than gripping sections.
The Bang-Bang Club, for those who may not know, was a group of crazy-ass photographers who covered...more
It’s a cracker of a read with only a few slightly less than gripping sections.
The Bang-Bang Club, for those who may not know, was a group of crazy-ass photographers who covered...more
It was hard to rate this book but in the end, chose 5 stars because it gave me a view of South Africa's end of Apartheid, the political aspects and the photojournalists recording it. It was heart-wrenching to read at times and the photos intensified it.
The Bang-Bang Club comprises of four South African photographers, Greg, Joao, Ken and Kevin who risk their lives going into violent townships, dead zones, hostels in order to document what was really happening there with their cameras. By working...more
The Bang-Bang Club comprises of four South African photographers, Greg, Joao, Ken and Kevin who risk their lives going into violent townships, dead zones, hostels in order to document what was really happening there with their cameras. By working...more
"Snapshots from a hidden war" is a very good sub-title. Having lived in South Africa at the time, we were generally unaware of what was going on, and more specifically, what was going on behind the scenes. The National Party government treated us like mushrooms: kept us in the dark and fed us on sh.. manure. So this was a hidden war for most of us. During the TRC, when a lot of these stories came to light, I was living in London, so didn't experience the baring of truth that was so necessary for...more
Will send a shiver up your spine and make your fingers twitch. The story of four news photographers in South Africa during the brutal, chaotic downfall of Apartheit seggregation between 1990 and 1994, The young (white) men documented township battles between Inkatha and ANC supporters - scenes of hideous violence - producing some of the most iconic photos of the decade.
Of the four, one was shot and killed in South Africa during a battle and another took his own life shortly after being awarded a...more
Of the four, one was shot and killed in South Africa during a battle and another took his own life shortly after being awarded a...more
Jun 16, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people with hearts of steel
Shelves:
2011
There's a pre-req for this book: a keen intellectual interest in the politics of South Africa. In order to contextualize the cowboy element of the photojournalists comprising the Bang Bang Club [Jaoa, Greg, Ken and Kevin] the author goes into DEEP historical aspects of Apartheid and the unraveling. He has to I think to articulate exactly how violent things are and the huge risks whites (even born and bred in SA) were taking by going into the townships to shoot these photos.
The information about...more
The information about...more
This book is incredibly thought provoking. The reader finds themselves in the writers shoes facing moral decisions that must be made in an instant but they will carry for a lifetime.
The story is about four press photograghers who are South African and who cover the pre-election period of 1994.
As a young teenager one at the time I accepted the one sided government propoganda sent out and reading this book illustrates the darker side of what the truth was and how it was manipulated by the Aparthei...more
The story is about four press photograghers who are South African and who cover the pre-election period of 1994.
As a young teenager one at the time I accepted the one sided government propoganda sent out and reading this book illustrates the darker side of what the truth was and how it was manipulated by the Aparthei...more
If you want to read a book about the turbulent times in South Africa through the eyes of photojournalists who would do the most crazy and dangerous things to get the picture...this is it.
My husband, who is a fashion/commercial photographer was close friends with two of the photographers members of the club...KEVIN CARTER & KEN OSTERBROOK....and reading Greg's book on their lives behind the cameras brought tears to my eyes. The 80's/90's in South Africa - thinking back to our lives during tho...more
My husband, who is a fashion/commercial photographer was close friends with two of the photographers members of the club...KEVIN CARTER & KEN OSTERBROOK....and reading Greg's book on their lives behind the cameras brought tears to my eyes. The 80's/90's in South Africa - thinking back to our lives during tho...more
If you've ever wanted to know what photojournalism in a war zone is like, start by reading this book. Then go out and see the documentary "War Photographer" and you'll start to piece together the difficult lives of the photographers who witness and record the vile acts of man in the streets and trenches of conflict.
The glamour of the facade of the world traveling, exciting photojournalist fades as you realize that the lens is not enough of a filter to push away the heartache and suffering of th...more
The glamour of the facade of the world traveling, exciting photojournalist fades as you realize that the lens is not enough of a filter to push away the heartache and suffering of th...more
This is a difficult book to read. Stylistically it's well written, but the subject matter is bleak. It is a story of a country that is pulled in so many directions by the factions and ideologies and alliances and bloodlines that twist in on each other. And it is a story that confronts head-on the notion of what an individual can do to make a difference. There are no simple answers or neat happy endings. This is a book I would highly recommend though, if for no other reason than to gain an insigh...more
There is so much to say about this book. Much was said at our book club meeting!!...However, after the obvious theme of arpetheid, the role that photographers are supposed to play was the most interesting. My fellow book club person Jeff felt that they were never humanitarians and we were expecting them to be such.
I have often been accused by my friends of being somewhat cold. In my previous job, every day I was exposed to sick, dying and pitiful folks...If I had not hardened myself somewhat, w...more
I have often been accused by my friends of being somewhat cold. In my previous job, every day I was exposed to sick, dying and pitiful folks...If I had not hardened myself somewhat, w...more
Though clearly no writers, news photographers Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva lash together a riveting account of the years between the apartheid's end and Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa. Unlike most overviews of the period that I have read, this book brings to life in, well, photographic detail, the animosity between Zulu Inkhartha and Xchosa ANC supporters that was manipulated by those desperate to retain power into horrific violence that nearly ripped a nation apart. Read this book...more
Mar 08, 2012
Carolien
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
south-africa-non-fiction,
2012
During the transition period between the release of Nelson Mandela in 1991 and the first democratic elections in April 1994, a number of factions tried to derail the process in South Africa by violent means. This is the story of a group of war/news photographers who captured the low level war fought by tribal factions in the townships of the Witwatersrand. Their photographs became one of the main sources of reporting during the period and ensured that ordinary South Africans remained aware of th...more
Set chiefly during the chaotic blood drenched last days of Apartheid. This non-fiction account follows a group of South African war photographers in their professional and personal lives, as they attempt to document the hidden war that preceded the fall of the white minority government of South Africa. A story known by most of us, but not in great detail, manifested through the optics of this group of men popularly known as "The Bang Bang Club." The reader is exposed in both memoir and photograp...more
I remember the release of Mandela clearly as a pivotal point in the battle against apartheid as well as the subsequent election. This book is set during the early 90s in South Africa where this battle was fought. It is told from the photojournalist's point of view who captured the battle and grew up in this region. Their chronicalling of these events was not without a price. The war crimes and photographing of poverty and victims takes its toll on their mental health. I did not realize that the...more
Set in South Africa during the civil war leading up to Nelson Mandela's election, this book gives an inside account of what was happening on the streets through the eyes of a photojournalist. It has a thrilling account of what it is like to be a conflict photographer: not only with the daily dangers they face on the front line, but their motivation to even be out there trying to capture the picture that tells the story behind the conflict.
For me I couldn't put this book down. Part of that might...more
For me I couldn't put this book down. Part of that might...more
This was truly an incredibly excellent read. The story, time, and events taking place in South Africa was truly riveting to learn about. Although the topic was quite heavy (as it takes place during the apartheid), the story of these bang-bang photographers were never romanticized or censored. The book was written in a very raw and realistic tone that allows the reader to begin to realize how this difficult period has affected the citizens of South Africa in so many different, intricate levels. T...more
Szóstego lutego 2011 roku Wojciech Jagielski opublikował na łamach „Gazety Wyborczej” dość obszerny artykuł, w którym opisywał traumę i stres, będące udziałem fotoreporterów zajmujących się konfliktami zbrojnymi. Zadedykowany Krzysztofowi Millerowi tekst został zatytułowany zupełnie tak, jak wydana dekadę wcześniej książka Grega Marinovicha i João Silvy, „Bractwo Pif-Paf”; trudno z pewnością wyrokować, czy była ona główną inspiracją, ale cytaty z niej pochodzące znajdowały się na każdej stronie....more
I was introduced to the work of Kevin Carter by, of all things, a Manic Street Preachers song. I'm drawn to read this book by his tragic story but also by the arresting images I've seen that are contained in it.
...Unfortunately, I just got a paperback copy of the book and the reproductions of the photos are terrible. Worse than you would find in the most low-rent daily paper in Nowheresville, USA. I hope the text makes it worth it.
Decent-quality versions of many of the photos in the book can be...more
...Unfortunately, I just got a paperback copy of the book and the reproductions of the photos are terrible. Worse than you would find in the most low-rent daily paper in Nowheresville, USA. I hope the text makes it worth it.
Decent-quality versions of many of the photos in the book can be...more
After I've seen the movie I just wanted to know more. I did some internet searching and found interesting sites but also this book. I just had to read it. I must say when you first seen the movie the book is a little dissapointing, but I must say I would love the book more if I didn't seen the movie...
I am very interested in the point of view of the book...we actually get to know the people behnd the photo's, but not the pictures on it, but the people taking them. What is their story, how do the...more
I am very interested in the point of view of the book...we actually get to know the people behnd the photo's, but not the pictures on it, but the people taking them. What is their story, how do the...more
An incredible story, told through the words and photos of the men who brought the conflict to the world. I suspect that many will be disappointed to find that Marinovich and Silva present little in the way of answers that might resolve the question of what level of intervention is appropriate for conflict photographers in the events they capture, but I find myself liking the ambiguity. It's clear from their experiences and those of their friends that doing this kind of work takes a significant t...more
Vivid, honest, thought provoking, brilliantly written by the people who lived the story of combat photojournalists in the bloody days of a turbulent South Africa. Kevin’s last thoughts captured the essence of their lives, and that if left undealt, can lead to the eventuality of his own fate –
“...without phone, money for rent, money for child support, money for debts...money! I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain...of starving or wounded children, of trigg...more
“...without phone, money for rent, money for child support, money for debts...money! I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain...of starving or wounded children, of trigg...more
I read this for a book group - it's not something I would have come to on my own. I procrastinated reading it because it was so depressing. I'd looked at the pictures and read the captions weeks before I read it and then I just couldn't pick it up again. But I'd bought the thing...
At first the depressing thing is the reality of the atrocities that were going on while I glibly when about my high school/adolescence thinking about boys and grades. Then the depressing thing became how desensitized...more
At first the depressing thing is the reality of the atrocities that were going on while I glibly when about my high school/adolescence thinking about boys and grades. Then the depressing thing became how desensitized...more
As a South African, reading this book was like having a knife stuck in my back and turned with each page I read. This book gave such amazing insight into the political atmosphere that hung over the country during apartheid. It goes beyond any information that was presented by the 'formal' media, or what is thought in the education system. One of the best books I have ever read, because it is such a cut and dry portrayal of the crushing of the human spirit.
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Apr 21, 2011 07:37am