Rating: 
Summary: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Review: "Material World" is one of those books that EVERYONE should read. It really is beyond description...deceptively simply yet incredibly moving in its stark simplicity. In these pages about families across the globe, we see scenes from their everyday life. When we glance at the pictures of each family on their lawn surrounded by all of their material goods, the difference between the average American family and the average Ethiopian family couldn't be plainer. We look at the faces on these pages, hear their thoughts on the future, and compare their lives to our own...and suddenly the people in other countries seem real to us, and the faceless people of the news suddenly have faces and thoughts and homes and families. Peter Menzel and all of the others who have worked on this book have done a brilliant and wonderful thing when they created "Material World". They have done what no "You should be grateful..." or "Think of those people in other countries..." could have done...they have made the world real to us.
Rating:
Summary: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Review: "Material World" is one of those books that EVERYONE should read. It really is beyond description...deceptively simply yet incredibly moving in its stark simplicity. In these pages about families across the globe, we see scenes from their everyday life. When we glance at the pictures of each family on their lawn surrounded by all of their material goods, the difference between the average American family and the average Ethiopian family couldn't be plainer. We look at the faces on these pages, hear their thoughts on the future, and compare their lives to our own...and suddenly the people in other countries seem real to us, and the faceless people of the news suddenly have faces and thoughts and homes and families. Peter Menzel and all of the others who have worked on this book have done a brilliant and wonderful thing when they created "Material World". They have done what no "You should be grateful..." or "Think of those people in other countries..." could have done...they have made the world real to us.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and informative
Review: An incredible piece of journalism and photography. It puts into perspective daily life around the world as well as the "stuff" we cherish.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Insight
Review: As I live in Australia I found it hard to get this book. After seeing a write up on it in my local paper I found the different cultures amazing to see in their homes and their worldly possessions. Must buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: you've told your children, now show them
Review: At a familiy's dinner table:
FATHER: You know, we're lucky,
CHILDREN: Oh no, here we go again.
FATHER: we have health, food, a home, a vehicle, ...
CHILDREN: Whatever.This book may change that conversation after your children see some of the pictures in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking; engrossing
Review: Every household should have a copy of this book. The photographs show how diverse the world is; how poor most of the world is; how vulnerable all humans are. It has provided for some good discussion with my children, and it made me reflect on what material goods I have and on what I value.
Rating:
Summary: Changes me every time
Review: Every time I pick up this book and thumb through it, I am profoundly changed for the rest of the day. You will be too. I am usually way too verbose in my Amazon reviews, but this book leaves me speechless.
Rating:
Summary: Changes me every time
Review: Every time I pick up this book and thumb through it, I am profoundly changed for the rest of the day. You will be too. I am usually way too verbose in my Amazon reviews, but this book leaves me speechless.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible book--I wish it was 10 times thicker!
Review: I could not stop reading this book--it has such a liberating global perspective and marvellous photographs. It forces the (sad) realization of inequality of incomes, but does not stop merely at that--rather, it also includes intriguing facts about each family's life, wishes for the future, philosophy of life, etc. Thus it is an "incomparable comparison tool" and could be used in any sociology/economics/anthropology/political science/philosophy class. My only problem is that it makes me guilty for having so many posessions. But in general I find it a solid brick in building transnational human understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Your Kids Will Get A Whole New Perspective on "Stuff"
Review: I discovered this one-of-a-kind book while paging through my favorite book catalog. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and bought it immediately for full price at my nearest bookstore (I NEVER pay full price - I was that excited!) On a cue from my catalog's annotation, I left it casually available in our family room. Within 10 minutes, my 9-year-old "material girl" zoomed in on the large, glossy cover, and asked about the book. I played cool: "Just a new book I really like... it's about all kinds of families and what kinds of stuff they have." Warily sensing the "educational" angle, she left it untouched as I left the room. Ten minutes later, she impatiently called to her 6-year old sister: "Look at this picture! This is a real family and this is all their stuff, even their beds! Where's their car? Look at these 2 little Mexican girls buying Barbies!" Unable to resist the text by now, she amended: "Oh, they're just looking. They don't have money to buy them." A thoughtful pause followed. Were the darling kids in the picture the anonymous "poor people" they heard about so often at school? They don't look unhappy in the photos...they look just like a regular family. YES! CONNECTION! It took the 2-page "Toilets of the World" spread to hook their 8-year-old brother, but this book remains an unending source of fascination for all of us. I am making a list of families to buy it for. Please take my word on this: I love language, but Material World's pictures tell a story of common humanity that could never be conveyed the same way in words. Don't miss this book.
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