Women in the Material World, by Faith D'Aluisio & Peter Menzel

Women in the Material World
by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel
255 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction/Photojournalism

A sequel to the much-acclaimed Material World, which I haven't read yet. But I did read another photojournalism book by D'Aluisio and Menzel (Hungry Planet) and this covers several of the same families--Bhutan and Mali are the ones that stand out in my memory, but probably others. The sparse, unannotated interviews are incredibly revealing, and I think the authors did a decent job of balancing happy/unhappy situations. There are women dominated by their husbands (India, Mexico) and women on a surprisingly equal footing (Albania). The text is sometimes disturbing but always illuminating. I leave you with two quotes from the Haiti couple, who are deeply in love:

What would you change about your life if you could?
Madame Dentes Delfoart: "I cannot change my life." [96]

What are your hopes for the future?
Dentes Delfoart (husband): "Tomorrow I could be dead. Whatever I find tomorrow, I will take it but I cannot hope for anything." [99]

As I said, an illuminating look at different perspectives around the world. Highly recommended.