Girl with a Camera: Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer: A Novel

by Carolyn Meyer

The daring and passionate life of photographer Margaret Bourke-White — the first female war photojournalist in World War II and the first female photographer for Life magazine — is captured in this historical novel.  Growing up, Margaret Bourke-White intended to become a herpetologist, but while she was still in college, her interest in nature changed to a fascination with photography. As her skill with a camera grew, her focus widened from landscapes architecture to shots of factories, trains, and bridges. Her artist's eye sharpened to see patterns and harsh beauty where others saw only chaos and ugliness. Totally dedicated to her work, and driven by her ambition to succeed, she eventually became a well-known and sought after photographer, traveling all over the United States and Europe. A comprehensive author's note provides additional information to round out readers' understanding of this fascinating and inspiring historical figure.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Art, Photography

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Carolyn Meyer is as versatile a writer as you will find. Along with historical fiction and realistic novels for young adults she has written nonfiction for young adults and books for younger readers on topics as diverse as the Amish, the Irish, Japanese, Yup'ik Eskimos, a rock band, rock tumbling, bread baking, and coconuts. And ten of her books have been chosen as Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. In her most recent historical novels she has dealt with the young lives of Mary Tudor, Princess Elizabeth, Anastasia, and Isabel of Castilla, Spain.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fictional biography of photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White tells the story of how she came to be a pioneer in the field. Margaret White didn't fit in with her family or her peers. She loved snakes, not boys and questioned her mother's strict rules. She sought a way to turn her passions into a profession-a profession women didn't normally undertake. That didn't bother Margaret. She was determined to be herself and follow her own path in life.

This book starts with a cliffhanger but then gets weighed down with all the boring details of Margaret's life. It picks up later as she becomes an adult heading off on dangerous assignments. Margaret was headstrong and gutsy. She dared to dream big and go big she did. She was a pioneer. I admire her guts but as a person, I don't think I like her very much. I agree with her mother that she sometimes focused too much on shallow things and her relationship issues were partly her fault, though also partly because she gravitated towards men with depression/bi-polar. Meyer's early books made me a fan but her newer fictional biographies just aren't as good as the Tudor series. The book did make me want to look up Margaret Bourke-White and learn more about her.

Caution: This book contains anti-Semitic views commonly held in the 1920s. Margaret's mother, and later Margaret herself, utter some very distasteful comments that made me cringe. Margaret later realizes her mother was wrong but that never appears in the novel itself.

[Christine Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a fucking disappointment. This book should have been an account of a total badass woman in American history and her accomplishments despite the obstacles she faced, but this book chooses to limit itself to the first half of her amazing career and define her life by the mediocre men who were lucky enough to be a byline of it. Shameful.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second historical fiction read in a row, both with female main characters and about the same time period, early 1900's. Both are written in first person and both have a parent that dies early. One big difference is that this book is based on the life of a real person, Margaret Bourke White. She is a famous female photographer, known for her artistic pictures of America's industrialization and later pictures that capture the people caught in the great depression and WWII. The book tells the story of her entire life, unusual in a YA book. It is a slow story but extremely interesting story. Her desire to become a famous photographer fuels her decisions but gets in the way of her forming relationships, both romantic and platonic. Unlike the character in A Northern Light, as a reader you see many instances of strength but you also see what appears to be self-absorption. Keep reading before you form an opinion.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cool how she loved photos and nature but it kinda got me annoyed that she couldn't get along with people. I don't know why. It just gets me mad.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional account of this photographer's life. It follows her life closely and is an inspiring story about following your passion. I don't know if students today can appreciate how revolutionary this woman was for her time. It would pair nicely with a biography of Ms. Bourke-White.

[loreley god. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margaret Bourke-White was a prominent woman photographer. She started off as a poor girl with an interest in herpetology. After discovering her true passion, photography, she struggled to make a name for herself in a time with few career options for women. Thanks to her determination, she became a world-renowned photographer. This fictionalized novel of her life gave me a view into the field of photography and how to keep on going even while facing challenges.

The most important lesson in Girl with a Camera is perseverance. Although she faced discrimination, Margaret Bourke-White kept on trying to get where she wanted to be. Her dedication might inspire people to learn more about women's rights and photography.

I wish I could've enjoyed Girl with a Camera more. I couldn't connect with the protagonist. Her decisions and attitude seemed absurd. The protagonist bought extravagant things she couldn't afford, and for the sake of what? Allowing herself to be pressured into marriages, which ended in divorce? I didn't feel there was any logical explanation to her behavior. Although what Margaret Bourke-White did isn't the author's fault, I think the author could've delved into why the protagonist would act that way. It would've sparked my imagination.

I understand the author had to condense so many years of a person’s life into a 300 page book. However, it bugged me when I read something like, "A few months later, I..." There was so much information to tell, I felt that this was a biography. I was more interested in reading the author’s notes than the story. The small font it is in will discourage many readers. I also wish there could’ve been more photographs so we could get a better sense of Margaret Bourke-White’s work.

Sadly, it was not my favorite and I wouldn't recommend it. I usually adore Carolyn Meyer's historical fiction, but Girl with a Camera disappointed me.

See my review at Reading Violet: http://librarymind.weebly.com/home/gi...

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fictionalized account of Margaret Bourke-White's life is full of interesting tidbits of history. Her choice of college is determined by which schools accept women, and which of those schools have arrangements with other colleges that allow their students to take classes at these partner schools. The choice of herpetology for her course of study went against the common expectations for women in those days, as did her later change to photography. Reading of her efforts to break into the field, the way in which she was treated as a young girl who didn't know her own mind or what she was doing, creates a frustration that is a pale reflection of what she herself must have felt.

Despite all the odds against her, Margaret did manage to become a recognized photographer. Along the way she saw and documented many important pieces of history. Her photo of the building of the Fort Peck Dam was used as the cover of the first issue of Life magazine, but also showed the New Deal at work. She captured the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the Louisville flood, Josef Stalin, the factories of Soviet Russia, faces of the US South under Jim Crow, and World War II. The descriptions of what she had to do to be in position for those events is a testimony to determination. And that doesn't take into account the personal side of her life, which was also full of drama.

Meyer's use of material from Margaret's autobiography, some of her personal papers, and other sources has insured that the main facts are correct and that the flavor of Margaret's personality comes through clearly.

For those interested in the world during the 1920s and 30s, or in fascinating women who stand up to the pressures of society and pursue their dreams, this is a wonderful choice. Highly recommended for middle school and up.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret Bourke-White was not like other girls of her time. She didn't want to get marry nor did she fancy herself in more feminine interests. Instead, she was interested in nature, and later, photography. Throughout her education, Margaret enrolled in courses & activities that actively shaped her interest in the technique that is photographic art. As an adult, she struggled to make herself a living with her art, but she kept trying, always ambitious to prove to the world in era that was dominated by men, that a female photographer can rise up to their league.

Girl with a Camera tells a fictionalized story of Margaret's early life, notably her early years during the 1910s to 1942. It portrays Margaret as an average girl who had eccentric interests for the time & who wanted much more out of life. Her path to success wasn't easy, but it required her own ingenuity and perseverance to plow through when it seemed like nobody close to her supports her interests. It also helped that she was able to connect the right people who were able to open doors for her to make a career. Maybe unsurprisingly, she never showed much interest in marriage as her two marriages in the story both ended relatively short. As it progressed, Margaret becomes a successful businesswoman who is both determined to get the right shot and develops her own persona. While it was interesting to know her life story, I do think the writing is a bit more drier than usual for Carolyn Meyer, especially when the story started to focus more on Margaret's love life. And by the last couple of pages, I unfortunately lost interest and wanted the story to be done. Margaret definitely sounds like an interesting woman to know about, but I don't feel the writing in Girl with a Camera to be on par with Meyer's other works.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This riveting story is a fictionalized account of the life of Margaret Bourke-White, successful photographer in the early 20th century. We jump into Margaret's life while she is in the 8th grade and continue through her embedded military career in 1942. Margaret pushes the envelope of expectations for women, suffers in the process, but spectacularly reaches her goal of becoming a famous, glamorous photographer who follows her passions. Margaret was not lucky in her young social life, having grown up in a no frills home under a mother who always insisted that Margaret choose the "hard way" in every endeavor. But her mother uncharacteristically provides Margaret with a camera, knowing that Margaret much appreciated her deceased father's photography hobby. Margaret's father had died during her freshmen year in college, plummeting Margaret into financial and emotional distress. She learned a lot about herself and her parents after her father's death, and it was quite a painful journey for her. Luckily, her neighbors supported her college career, her herpetology interests, and her love of photography, "....my future emerging as mysteriously as a photographic negative in the developing bath." She was a risk taker to get the best shot and to set up her own business, getting work such as photographing new architecture, the 1937 Louisville flood, and Stalin in 1941 during Germany's bombing of Moscow. My only wish is that the book contained more prints of her photographs. This is released as YA, but I've shared it with adults who found it quite stimulating.

[AZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Margaret Bourke-White is a story of success, the classic rags-to-riches tale, the American Dream. Margaret started from relatively humble origins. Growing up, her mother had always been practical, and never saw any reason for frivolous things, especially not clothes, so Margaret had always been a plain girl. That all changed when she went to college. A break away from her mother gave her the chance to buy pretty dresses, go and date men, and, most importantly, pursue her interests in photography. Margaret eventually started a career taking photographs, having many firsts in that regard – the first foreigner permitted to take photos of the Soviet Union's five-year plan, the first female American war photojournalist, and having one of her photographs on the first edition of ‘Life’ magazine. During that time, Margaret got married and divorced twice, and almost died to take her photos, but she never let that stop her.
Margaret was a unique specimen among humans. She was a highly ambitious child and grew into a highly ambitious young woman. When choosing between her love life and her career, Margaret always chose the latter when most women of the time would become housewives. She always knew what she wanted in life, and didn’t let anyone stop her. As a reward, Margaret became one of the most well-known photographers in the world, always first in line for a good shot, even if it meant putting her life at risk. She did many great things, and her photos were revolutionary. Margaret Bourke-White is an icon, a reminder that we must follow our passion, that flickering flame, and that although there will be sacrifices, the result, a groundbreaking career that paves the path for future generations to follow, will be worth it.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction based on the life of photographer Margaret Bourke-White.

What I Liked: I love learning about women who defied societal norms and pursued their interests. A photographer in the early to mid 1900s? Even better! I always walk away from books like this one with a better appreciation for the person and the adversity they overcame and retain more information about the person versus when I am reading a biography.

What I Didn't Care For: The ending was a disappointment. Sometimes the book read more like a biography than fiction. The font was small, so I decided to read on my Kindle instead. I wanted more pictures!

This reminded me of Learning to See by Elise Cooper, an adult fictional story about Dorothea Lange's life.

I wonder who the audience is for this book and who will read it in my middle school, but then again, I was once a teenager with an interest in early photographers, so perhaps the readers are out there.

3 for the writing, but 4 overall for a book about Margaret Bourke-White.

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this. Wish there were more of Bourke-White photos in the book, but perhaps I should read a biography. Complex woman. I'm not sure how well this will sell to my middle school students but I think there is an audience.

BOOK TALK: Herpetology fascinated Margaret. She studied snakes and caterpillars and they would have become her life, but photography captured her heart. And Margaret had an eye for composing photos that almost spoke to the viewer. But the time was the early 1900s and women with any occupation other than homemaker or teacher found building a professional life almost impossible. After all who wants a woman on a construction site or in a war zone?

[Bjipson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be more engaging than I had expected. Even though presented as fiction, it definitely reads like biography, and it is clear that Meyer did her homework. Bourke-White was a fascinating woman, especially for her time, and part of the story is her desire to delve into a profession that fascinated her and that she was good at, rather than be wife-y, as her first husband certainly expected and as her second did as well, although perhaps to a lesser extent.
Good for context on women's roles pre-World War II and for early journalistic photography. I'll be booktalking this one, for sure, especially since the topic may need some promoting...

[Julia Fedorova · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this YA book! It is a fresh perspective on a life lived to make oneself happy and pursue the dream that conquered all else in Peggy's life. Some may claim she made silly decisions, or was too "career-focused" but in the end it was her life and she made it what she wanted it to be. We should all learn from that, to not settle, not just "go with the flow" but make our own path in life and follow it with passion until the very end. This book is a great lesson that it is OK to be different, to follow your dreams, no matter how silly or frivolous they may seem to others. It is YOUR life and you only live it once, so make it count!

[Vickie Emmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing of Margaret Bourke-White until I found this little gem for a challenge prompt. Part biography-part novel it tells of the first female photographer to have not only a photograph on the cover of LIFE magazine but was the first cover photograph of the inaugural issue of LIFE. Peggy as she was called, was a fascinating woman and a real pioneer. The author chose to tell the story through Peggy’s voice which undeniably was the best choice. It pulled me in and made me feel as though I was traveling with Peggy on her adventures.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl With A Camera is a great book written from a different point of view than any other book I enjoyed reading the life story of Margret Bourke-White. At first, I expected it to be historical all the way through, but World War II started at the very end, so the plot was shifted around. A lot of the same things repeated with characters, and made it seem like you had all ready read that chapter. Over all, I thought it was a good story.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I love learning about historical figures that were never touched on in school. Margaret Bourke-White is an amazing person that everyone and their pets should learn about. She's a great female person who is very relatable for me and Carolyn Meyer did an amazing job (as usual) bringing her to life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction about females.

[Jenni Bader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Margaret Bourke-White's life as a ground-breaking photographer and woman who bucked many of the societal expectations for women fascinated me, but at times the narrator's voice and not knowing exactly what parts were fiction grated on me, and I longed to be reading Margaret's story in her own words. It was an entertaining read, though, and an inspiring story overall. Younger readers in particular will likely appreciate the format.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fictionalized biography of Margaret Bourke White shows a young woman who did not take the easy road. Her early interest in nature and herpetology and later photography, set her apart from others. Young adult readers will admire her for her candor and hard work to discover what she wanted. Caution to librarians in that while not graphic some of romantic relationships would be not be appropriate for a middle school reader.

[Vyki (On The Shelf) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, I am choosing to DNF this book. I gave it a chance, but I just couldn't get into it. I wasn't crazy about the writing and I just couldn't connect to the main character. It felt like someone telling me about their life, but in a less interesting way. It felt more tell than show for me and so I decided to move on to something else.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a YA book when I got it from the library but I wanted to read about Margaret Bourke-White, so I kept it and read it. It was fine through the first half of the book, but when I got to the end it just abruptly ended when her career was getting really interesting with her work during the war effort. I just wish it kept going.

[Bonnieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Young Adult novel, quick read..novel loosely based on White’s childhood up through her reporting/photographing WWII. The entire novel is written in first person narrative, as if Bourke-White is telling her own story. Interesting, not great.

[Anshika Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carolyn Meyer has presented an insight into the making of this phenomenal photographer in the format of a novel. Margaret's life included all:
A strict mother who always seemed to be instructing the children to be perfect. A doting father from whom she inherited the love for photography and snakes. The relationships and marriages which brought to her the dilemma between love and career. The slightly complicated career graph at the beginning of her life: from wanting to be a scientist of herpetology to being one of the very few female architectural photographers and one of the important war journalists.

The one thing I found missing, which I believe is an essential part of Bourke-White's life, is an unsatisfactory description of photography and the process involved. The kind of detailed description of Haresh's shoe-making or Pran's literary world. The feeling of actually inhaling the aroma of the deliciously described food in Chitrita Banerji's memoir. This kind of romanticization of photography I yearned for by the end of the novel. A book on a photographer should have had a good amount of page space for photography as an art, right? Maybe the one good out of this 'missing' was: I went on and looked for her photographs online. And truly, they are magnificent and bold. Just like she was.

Girl With A Camera would be a great read for a new reader (I surely would have loved the book had I read it when I was 14). Or something you'd like to read when you're craving a biography but not too factual. (There are certain additions, , as mentioned by the author at the end.)

[Marge Cree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the photographer Peggy Rourke-White. What a determined, fascinating person. I can't wait to get a hold of more books about her and really look at her photos she's taken.

[JaneyHail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda stopped reading towards the end.....
Now done though

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 1 out of 5]

It reads like an extended "what I did on summer vacation" report. The author makes sure to include little bits of every quarter of every year at the expense of dialog or characterization.

[Hadiqa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much exposure to WWII. Mostly it was about her affairs and struggles. Last few pages were interesting tho. And good writing.

[Katie Gooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is adventurous and kind of interesting

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting woman, breaking ground when women were supposed to be happy being house wives.

[Greynomad]

For young adults