Title: Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope --Voices from the Women's March
Genre: Coffee Table Book, Current Events, Politics
Publisher: Artisan Press
Date: March 7, 2017
Length: 264 pages
This book was free from NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review
On January 21, 2017, over 5 million people in 673 cities around the globe gathered in solidarity for the Women’s March, carrying signs that shone with unwavering hope and determination and demanded the protection of women’s rights, opposed the newly inaugurated U.S. president, and championed equality and justice for all. Why We March presents more than 300 of the most powerful, uplifting, clever, and creative signs from these marches. “Nasty Women Unite.” “Make America Think Again.” “Build Bridges, Not Walls.” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fundamental Rights.” “Love Trumps Hate.” “A Woman’s Place Is in the Resistance.” These images--featuring messages about reproductive rights and cabinet picks, immigration and police violence, climate change and feminism--together paint a striking portrait of resistance, despair, humor, and most of all, hope. This book will serve as a rallying cry for this burgeoning movement, and a valuable and timely encapsulation of an unprecedented moment in political history. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
Description from Goodreads
Political and protest signs have gotten more clever and pointed in recent years. I remember reading the news coverage and thinking that I would love to see a collection of the signs from the Women's March. When I received an email from NetGalley informing me about Why We March I thought it was awfully soon for something like this to have been put together but jumped at the chance to read it.
Quality photographs, pretty good selection of signs: The pictures were of good quality, the layout was nicely organized, and there was a wide selection of signs, even though they did start to feel redundant. I also liked how similar pictures were grouped to illustrate how that particular sentiment was shared around the world. There were a lot of shots I'd seen before through news coverage, but there are new (to me) images, great crowd shots, and lovely moments. (I think my favorite picture is of the woman on p.21)
What I liked
The fact that this book exists: I love that there is a tangible collection of the signs and people, proof of the excitement and fierceness of the Women's March on Washington. These signs were next level in their cutting humor and defiant stands. I really liked that they included a list of every city (and country) that held a Women's March. (I couldn't believe how many Alaskan towns held a march in below freezing temps.)Quality photographs, pretty good selection of signs: The pictures were of good quality, the layout was nicely organized, and there was a wide selection of signs, even though they did start to feel redundant. I also liked how similar pictures were grouped to illustrate how that particular sentiment was shared around the world. There were a lot of shots I'd seen before through news coverage, but there are new (to me) images, great crowd shots, and lovely moments. (I think my favorite picture is of the woman on p.21)
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| courtesy of Workman Publishing |
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| courtesy of Workman Publishing |
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| courtesy of Workman Publishing |
What I'm on the fence about
It's commemorative not informative: This is strictly a collection of photographs with a sprinkling of quotes. It's great for someone who attended or wanted to attend the rally and a good representation of the creativity of the marchers. It doesn't state why the march was started or what people were marching for. There is one sentence that says:Immigrants marching for the right to live within our borders, and women and men of color marching for their safety and equality within the same.I feel this oversimplifies the issues that these two specific groups were marching for and doesn't touch on the many other reasons people were protesting.
Collage pages could have been better: Artisan Press used a clever layout that would show the same phrase used in different protests around the world. But sometimes you would have two pictures from the same city and it weakened the idea that it was a global message and made it feel like filler.
What didn't work for me
Rushed: I totally understand that Artisan Press is trying to capitalize on the excitement and momentum of the Women's March. They see this book as a way to highlight a historic protest and keep people going. However, pictures started to feel repetitive and the bulk of them were from D.C., Seattle, New York, and London. I think with a bit more time they could have represented more cities and larger variety of signs.
It's too soon for this, but would have loved essays or just explanations of signs: Some of the hardest to find but academically useful and informative books I order are the history books on posters (political, protest, propaganda, etc.). I look for resources that explain the item, give the historical context of the sentiment, event, etc. Because Why We March is coming out less then two months after the march, there isn't yet a wide selection of academic material to use and explanations of context would seem redundant at this point in time. It's a cool book but it's for the here and now, but it isn't informing the next generation.
It's too soon for this, but would have loved essays or just explanations of signs: Some of the hardest to find but academically useful and informative books I order are the history books on posters (political, protest, propaganda, etc.). I look for resources that explain the item, give the historical context of the sentiment, event, etc. Because Why We March is coming out less then two months after the march, there isn't yet a wide selection of academic material to use and explanations of context would seem redundant at this point in time. It's a cool book but it's for the here and now, but it isn't informing the next generation.
Rating: 3.0
I enjoyed this book, I laughed out loud at some of the signs, and it will definitely fire you up. It's a good mix of humorous, sad, creative, and defiant images. One does not typically expect this level of art and smarts when it comes to protest signs. There were historic and pop culture references, original artwork, Hamilton quotes, Princess Leia's laser eyed stare, and Angela Davis's silhouette firing up the crowd. But then it got repetitive and it seemed that only the large marches were covered with a few scattered images from other countries and smaller cities. I feel with a bit more time Artisan Press could have put together a better selection from a wider variety of marches.No matter my complaints, or if you agree with the march or not, the main take away for me was: Holy crap. Look at the millions of people, jamming road ways, being creatively angry, protesting and marching AND DOING IT ALL PEACEFULLY AND WITH A SMILE. Older people were there, babies were there, it was a jam packed environment and it was safe. That made me proud. Such a huge difference from the protests the day before or the Berkley protests that followed a few weeks later.
Am I being ridiculously nit picky to complain about a lack of information provided with the images? If you've had a chance to look at this book what did you think of it?
I love the premise of this. I didn't get to attend a march, but I've loved looking at photos. I agree that it does seem soon. I can understand why it felt rushed. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI just think this book would be so much cooler with a wider variety of pictures.
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