BOTW February 20

By Paige Waskow

The Book of the Week is:

Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton

What's it about?

How do the people of the world live? How does experience shape our beliefs, struggles, and response?

Humans of New York: Stories is a nonfiction compilation of photography and captions of everyday people sharing something about their lives. Most are answering questions posed by author Brandon Stanton, a photographer who blogs and posts online about the experiences of those he meets on the streets of New York. The book itself derives its stories from those online publications. Each page typically has one or two photographs and are put together often in ways that reflect themes or beliefs.

Why did I choose it?

This may be, and as a huge bookworm I say this quite cautiously, my favorite nonfiction book. My love of stories has always been present and driven me to learn more about the world I am in. I heard about the social media page Humans of New York on Instagram and followed them. I loved the stories shared, and eventually, the author of the site announced the release of the Humans of New York: Stories book. I got it for Christmas and, like most books I ended up loving, I read it in a day.

My very loved copy of HONY: Stories.

The book is so unique and powerful in its ability to tell the stories of everyday people. It pulses with emotion and is so full of diversity.  From children collecting rocks and talking about building bridges to memories of people who have survived war or gang violence to conversations between lovers to those attending religious events, this book leaves nothing out. I think what is most amazing is that the book itself is not crafted by one person. Sure, there is one official author, but it is a book by people, capturing one sliver of a moment in their lives. Side by side on the pages, people have different beliefs and life experiences.

Together, these photographs and captions form what I believe to be both a beautiful and often heart-breaking look at what it means to be human- what it means to be alive. Like, if I had to send an alien planet one piece of media that describes humanity, it would be this book. I have read HONY a few times now, and it doesn't fail to get old. If you are looking for beautiful photography, people, and stories, please read this book.

Where can you get HONY: Stories?

This book is available for checkout at Coe's library and the Cedar Rapids Public Library. If you don't have a CRPL library card, you can get one for free any time.

Is there anything else you should know?

As mentioned above, Humans of New York started as a photography blog and continues to publish stories online. You can view their work on social media or at their website here. From this site, you can view all of their past stories and series. I highly recommend checking it out.

Additionally, Brandon Stanton also wrote a book published in 2013 (earlier than HONY: Stories) called Humans of New York. I haven't read it, but it has the same premise as Stories. The only difference is that Stories has longer captions alongside the photographs.

                                            

via GIPHY

If you have a book you love and want to see as a BOTW, leave a comment below. 

Happy reading!

References:

Stanton, Brandon. Humans of New York. www.humansofnewyork.com/.

Stanton, Brandon. Humans of New York: Stories. St. Martins Press, 2015.