<< 1 >>
Rating: Summary: An interesting volume - requires serious thought Review: I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. Each of the photos is controversial, but most of the controversy requires some background information, which the book provides. This is not a book that will shock or offend, but it is not for children. Most of the pictures are fairly tame, but it is the historical background of each photo that reveals the reason for censorship. The editor is British, and the book gave me the impression that censorship is more prevalent in the United Kingdom than in the United States. I thought the best photo in this book was the very last one, and I was pleased to see this point of view expressed, unpopular though it may be. Don't buy this book for shock value, you will be disappointed. Do buy this book if you are interested in discovering the subtle ways that censorship of photography has been used to prevent information from being disseminated.
Rating: Summary: Plenty of censorship in the US too Review: It's important to realize that the previous reviewer was actually completely positive about the book and so even though only three stars were given, the book actually was quite recommended. My opinion about the book is equally positive. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of Henry Ford as a fascist and anti-union capitalist. Normally, the only thing Americans learn about this man is that he "revolutionized the world" with his assembly line process. What is not addressed in the standard view of Henry Ford, though, is that his business practices led to the mechanization of all aspects of life and the transformation of human beings into cogs in a gigantic machine, impersonal and immediately replaceable. The discussions of Hitler's appropriation of Ford and Ford's own anti-Semitism are also highly appreciated- if for no other reason than that these elements are "forgotten" in mainstream accounts. The point, of course, is not that Henry Ford must be toppled from his present position of hero-worship, but that the truth of his political and social views has never been presented. This book attempts to provide a balance to that one-sided presentation through picture and caption.
Rating: Summary: I'd like to buy it, but... Review: This looks like an extremely interesting book. But I really, really DO NOT want to see images of executions (or those about to be), people in despair or other human suffering.
<< 1 >>
|