**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
Title: All of Which I Saw
Author: Lucian Read
Genre: Photography & Current Affairs
Publication: 9/28/2019
Read: September 2019
Format: Digital
Rating: 4 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warning: Photographs of graphic violence, death, brutality, and murder.
Goodreads Summary:
All of Which I Saw captures the United States Marine Corps during some of the most dramatic and important moments of the Iraq War. The book takes the viewer across the Pacific aboard ship, into the Battle of Najaf and Second Battle of Fallujah–where Read took his now-iconic photograph of a wounded Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal–and beyond into the bloody streets of Ramadi and the darkness of the Haditha massacre . . . only to return to the light of homecoming. During the Iraq War, no other photojournalist spent more time with the Marines, and this is a singular, stunning, and indispensable record of the conflict and the Marine Corps at war. Throughout, the book also contains Read’s own contemporaneous accounts that tell the stories behind the photos, including Sgt. Maj. Kasal’s, and captures the grim truths about the war in all its violence, tragedy, heroism, and sacrifice.
My Thoughts:
Lucian Read is a brilliant photographer that genuinely knows how to capture a moment and leave it branded in your mind. The photos in this book are horrifying, enlightening, and real. I felt like I was in the moment when I looked at these photos. This book truly forces you to confront the horrors that are present in war.
All of Which I Saw is a book that shows you what war looks like. The photos are beautifully taken and thought-provoking as well. I do wish that the images would have had captions on the bottom of them. There were many instances where I wanted more than the pictures. I didn’t realize until the very end of the book that the captions were in the back. I think it would have been more powerful having the captions on each photo when we first see it.
If I were rating on pictures alone, I would have easily given this five caffeinated stars, but unfortunately, the writing and stories were not cohesive. There were times where I had to research the event after I read the introduction to the chapter/event. Though at times I was confused, this book was still well worth the read. It is brutal and horrifying, but it is sprinkled with hope and comradery.
All in all, I am glad I picked up the ARC of this book. It was horrifying at times, but I think it is vital to show just how brutal and horrifying it can be.
Did my review convince you to buy this book? If so here are the links to buy your very own copy!
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads
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