(New York: Writers and Readers Publications, Inc., 1985)
Wendy Ewald
Introduction by Robert Coles
Afterword by Ben Lifson
Robert Coles calls this "a fine, fine book" which captures the complex and inspiring lives of the children of Appalachia. He lauds Wendy Ewald's "knowing, sensitive, patient, dedicated attentiveness" toward the boys and girls who depict their own lives and experiences. In her long and worthwhile introduction, Ewald notes the ubiquity of photographs in Appalachian homes-"binding the generations and preserving the past." But snapshots in family albums alone cannot explain for Ewald the "detailed, accepting, and complex" visions her students bring to the process of composing and taking photographs. Their rich and imaginative worlds take shape within the limits of Appalachia. She carefully recounts the steps taken, the mishaps encountered, and the pay-offs gained in learning "eloquence with the camera." With the school boiler room as a makeshift dark room, the camera becomes -- for a brief time -- a mirror to dreams and life for the boys and girls along Cowan and Kingdom Come creeks and Campbells Branch, Kentucky.
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