Dorothea Lange

A Life Beyond Limits

By: Linda Gordon

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

Winner of the 2010 Bancroft Prize and finalist for the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Biography: The definitive biography of a heroic chronicler of America's Depression and one of the 20th century's greatest photographers.

We all know Dorothea Lange's iconic photos - the Migrant Mother holding her child, the shoeless children of the Dust Bowl - but now renowned American historian Linda Gordon brings them to three-dimensional life in this groundbreaking exploration of Lange's transformation into a documentarist. Using Lange's life to anchor a moving social history of 20th-century America, Gordon masterfully re-creates bohemian San Francisco, the Depression, and the Japanese-American internment camps. Gordon has written a sparkling, fast-moving story that testifies to her status as one of the most gifted historians of our time.

©2009 Linda Gordon (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What a Life, What a Woman

Beyond the story of one person, Dorothea’s life was a portrait of an era. Her determined lens gave voice to the oppressed at a crucial time in the history of America. It is impossible to study the history of the United States without considering her depression era photographs, not to mention her Japanese internment documentary work. Working against impossible odds, she prevailed against sexism and disability to create a new style of documentary photography. This book not only pays tribute to her accomplishments, but reveals the woman behind the photos. The result is a fascinating portrait.

Story of a legendary photographer told well

Complete, well-balanced biography with rich historical context. Highly recommend for photographers and history buffs!
Narrator did a good job; a couple of English mispronounciations noticed, but non-English words spoken very well.

Amazing!

Great listen! Well written and writer talks all sides of story accounting for everything

Amazing person that is missed and needed as an example of a life well live!

We should a lead a life like this. It shows faults as well great triumphs and the struggle that both bring great happiness and sadness along with confidence and self doubt.
She was a great photographer but a total human being. That may be what this society is sorely missing.
This is what our time has brought us.

Amateurish reader

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes

Who was your favorite character and why?

No characters, it's nonfiction.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator is semi illiterate, that's the only way I can describe her. She basically can't pronounce most of the "hard" words in the text. At first I started counting how many words she mispronounced, then it just got to be so ridiculous it was almost laughable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It's non fiction

Any additional comments?

The book itself isn't bad, but the author admits that there isn't as much documentation of Lange's life as one would like, so there is a lot of historical background that is not specific to Lange's life.