Thumbs up for Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel. Anthropology.
While slightly out-of-date now (it’s funny how the mid-90’s looks like the mid-90’s the world round), this book features portraits of statistically average families in 30 diverse countries surrounded by all of their material possessions. This ranges from – in India – blankets, pots and pans, a set of wrestling weights, a broken bicycle, a few religious pictures, and absolutely nothing else, to – in Kuwait – so much that it can be viewed only from the air, including a 45-foot-long sofa, four cars, and two servants. The text is informative, but it’s the photos that tell the story, unarguably and immediately graspable. It’s powerful. Material World isn’t just “How the Other Half Lives”; it’s how the other everybody lives. Not only do I recommend this book for adults, but I think it should be part of school curricula.
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