Material World: A Global Family Portrait
by Peter Menzel, Charles C. Mann, Paul Kennedy
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In honor of the United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family in 1994, award-winning photojournalist Peter Menzel brought together 16 of the world's leading photographers to create a visual portrait of life in 30 nations. Material World tackles its wide subject by zooming in, allowing one household to represent an entire nation. Photographers spent one week living with a "statistically average" family in each country, learning about the...more
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In honor of the United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family in 1994, award-winning photojournalist Peter Menzel brought together 16 of the world's leading photographers to create a visual portrait of life in 30 nations. Material World tackles its wide subject by zooming in, allowing one household to represent an entire nation. Photographers spent one week living with a "statistically average" family in each country, learning about the...more
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Read in February, 2008
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One of the most absorbing nonfiction books I have ever read. One median family from 31 countries was chosen to remove all the contents of its home and display those contents in front of the home. Surprisingly, USA was not the home with the most contents. Saudia Arabia was, with Iceland second, money wise. Saudia Arabia's family was probably not very common since median is the middle between High and Low. A Saudi low is like a 3rd world home, but a Saudi High would be so rich that a median wo...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
I've often looked at this book over the years, but this year I decided that I really need to read the book instead of just looking at the pictures (which are quite compelling). I do worry about our comsumer-oriented society and this made it so much clearer. While I'm worried about how to organize all my stuff there are people out there who are worried about getting enough food for the day. This book doesn't overwhelm you with poverty, although we know it's there, but compares "average"...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone Interested in How Others Live, and Those Who Like Interesting Pictures
I have read/ looked at several books by the same authors/ photographers, and I love these books. They set out to give an idea of what others live like through pictures, and this book focuses on what families throughout the world own. The families actually have their belongings moved out of their home, and are photographed standing next to them. It makes me a little bit queasy to be American actually, when I see what the family in for example, Mali or Bhutan owns. I also think these books wou...more
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non-fiction
In this picture book, the author finds a statistically normal family in each country he visits, and invites them to bring all of their belonging outside their home. He photographs the family with their belongings in front of their home and asks them to identify their favorite possessions. The families have a few pages to share their brief story -- the makeup of their family, their goals and dreams, etc. Culturally revealing and a great conversation piece.
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I love this book. It provides a snapshot of family life from countries around the world in a highly entertaining and revealing way: The families from each country are posed with their material possessions.
Of course, it was done in 1994, so I eagerly await any sort of updated version. To see what has changed and what has not, as it were.
Of course, it was done in 1994, so I eagerly await any sort of updated version. To see what has changed and what has not, as it were.
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Read in January, 2004
This book is filled with the photographs of families around the world with all of their belongings outside their homes. Instant perspective. I became much more conscious of what a large home really is and how much stuff is really necessary. This book made me want to live leaner, more basic. And give back.
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Read in December, 2006
this book showcases families from all over the world. Each family is asked to bring everything that they own out in front of their home or on the rooftop in some cases and pose for a photo with their home and possessions. there is also a brief article about each family and the country they are from.
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I can spend hours pouring over this book. It is based around the material possessions of families around the world, but touches on so much more. It is an excellent gift for anyone who likes to travel or just has curiosity about the world. And it features a family from Bosnia!
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
anthropologists, globetrotters
Created in honor of the UN's Year of the Family in 1994, this is a fascinating photograph-and-essay collection that catalogues the ways of life and material possessions of thirty "statistically average" families in thirty countries, from Mali to the U.S. to Iraq.
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reviewed
Read in January, 1994
recommends it for:
everybody
It misses out on 5 stars from me because no variation within countries is shown, and that's a flaw I really noticed, but it's otherwise a wonderful book that gives quite a bit of information about the economic status of the world's citizens country by country.
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nonfiction
This book is an amazing visual and literary feast. This is a great way to immerse yourself into the real life of people from other cultures and varying economic means. It forces you to question what makes people truly happy.
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This is a must have for your coffee table - especially if you have children who don't want for anything! It's a good education for them through pictures and in a way that makes things real to them right away!
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Read in February, 2008
Amazing. Material World makes you grateful for what you have, and less envious of those who have what you long for.This book falls in the category of "I want to give a copy to everyone I know"
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Read in April, 2007
I couldn't put this book down. It was so interesting! It's a bit outdated, but nonetheless puts things in perspective for us "wealthy Americans"!
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This is one of the best books that I own. If I ever need to put my life into perspective, this is the book I read.
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teaching
This is one of my all-time favorite books to teach with... specifically in my Global Issues and Cultures classes.
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a book from way back but super cool and really interesting. I would love to see this updated to 2007
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bookshelves:
foreign-lands-and-traveling
recommends it for: consumers
Read in January, 1995
recommended to allisonfm by:
Stephanierecommends it for: consumers
Makes you truly appreciate all that you have and then realize you need none of it.
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