Epiphany:
Recently I realized (after I am done with schooling, of course) that I put extreme amounts of pressure on myself to write like a professional book reviewer. To the point I wouldn't allow myself to even try. I was refusing to add more to my blog because I never felt that I was finding a new and exciting theme or take on my recent read. With this reality check, I couldn’t help but realize that I was holding back from doing something that I really enjoy... and that college would have been so much easier if I would have let myself relax while I read my assignments. To breathe and simply enjoy what I was reading. Because that, my friends, is when I am taking in the most information.
With that being said, let’s jump into my review for my most recent read! Without the pressure on myself to jump through this imaginary hoop I had created for myself.
Dorothea Lange:
I just finished Learning To See by Elise Hooper and I was so excited to dive into this one. I vaguely remember seeing someone post about it on Bookstagram and it slipped my mind until it just happened to be on the “Buy Two, Get One Free” table. I snatched it up and felt that it was destined for me to read this book.
SYNOPSIS of Learning To See:
"In 1918, a fearless twenty-two-year old arrives in bohemian San Francisco from the Northeast, determined to make her own way as an independent woman. Renaming herself Dorothea Lange she is soon the celebrated owner of the city’s most prestigious and stylish portrait studio and wife of the talented but volatile painter, Maynard Dixon.
By the early 1930s, as America’s economy collapses, her marriage founders and Dorothea must find ways to support her two young sons single-handedly. Determined to expose the horrific conditions of the nation’s poor, she takes to the road with her camera, creating images that inspire, reform, and define the era. And when the United States enters World War II, Dorothea chooses to confront another injustice—the incarceration of thousands of innocent Japanese Americans.
Learning to See is a gripping account of the ambitious woman behind the camera who risked everything for art, activism, and love. But her choices came at a steep price…"
Historical fiction is my JAM. It never gets old for me—pun intended. So, this was right up my alley. I relaxed. I let myself enjoy the ride. I took in all that the characters had to offer for me and scratched my notes of enjoyment and disappointment in the margins.
And because of this, I felt that I really absorbed the book.
However, I realized that it felt pretty choppy. There were clearly large amounts of research that went into this book. It is based on the life of Dorothea Lange and her life journey to becoming an artist of photography. I felt that it was very clear on the sections of where research was done with attempts of wrapping it with creative writing and where it was strictly Hooper writing in her own takes on Lange.
Which honestly, I feel is okay! But if it was completed with a bit more grace and ease, I would have fallen in love with this book. I did fall in love with Dorothea, her work, and her passion—which, over all, I feel was the goal of this book. I didn’t put too much research into Lange’s life, but it really didn’t feel like Hooper was sugarcoating anything for her writing.
You follow along as she arrives in a new city, establishes her name, meets her first and second love, builds her family and takes the photography world by storm. I just can’t help but love a character that feels a bit broken in the same ways I am. There were many times that I felt really connected to her thoughts and decisions throughout her career. Bits of self-doubt coated with boldness and an unwillingness to let go of the things you are passionate about.
Aren't Sure Who Dorothea Lange Is?
She took photographs of migrant camps during the Great Depression and also Japanese relocation camps. Below is one of her photographs that is is largely known for the representation of the Great Depression:
Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely. While I say that it is a bit choppy, it is very subtle and it shouldn't deter you from giving this one a go. I think it’s a very enjoyable read and it wouldn’t hurt anyone to get to know a bit more about a photography that many aren’t aware the name, but her work is known widely.
So, yes. Pick it up from your local library and give it a go! And if you have any thoughts to add after reading, leave them below! Books are always more fun when there is discussion.