Material World
Reader's Review Another fascinating collection of photographs from around the world by photographer Peter Menzel (author of What the World Eats). This time he visits thirty countries and ...
Reader’s Review
Another fascinating collection of photographs from around the world by photographer Peter Menzel (author of What the World Eats). This time he visits thirty countries and photographs a family, their home, and all their possessions displayed outside of their home. It is truly eye-opening to see the incredible economic and cultural diversity around the world, and the chasm between the number of items possessed by one family to the next. The book is outdated however (it was published in 1994), and readers should be careful not to judge an entire country from the photographs and descriptions of a few individuals. Also parents should be ware that there are some photographs they may not be comfortable with children viewing.
To look out for
- Islamic Values: A number of photographs show men without shirts, a few have young children bathing. Village wrestlers are pictured training in only undergarments in one photo. Meals that include alcohol are photographed.
- Violence: One photo depicts a pig being slaughtered. In another pig heads are sold. A fire from a cremation is photographed. Warfare and poverty are described in many of the countries.
