Humans Of New York

Humans Of New York

Adult picture
In 2010 Brandon Stanton lost his bond trader job. Unlike others
in this plight he didn't start hunting leads, reconnecting with
contacts, writing a resume, and ironing interview suits. That year
he'd gotten his first camera and fallen in love. He decided he would
become a photographer.
His parents were not happy campers. He was giving up a "real"
profession for something that did not meet their definition of work.
I'm sure they tried to talk some sense into his head. Fortunately he
didn't listen. His photography turned into a blog which evolved into
a very colorful book: Humans Of New York.
Humans of New York has 400 color photographs and many of the
subjects' stories. Many will touch your heart or really make you
think. There's a refugee from what was Yugoslavia who earned a degree
while working as a janitor 12 years at Columbia University. A young
couple with a very new baby declare, "We're gonna be fine." A man
visiting his wife in a nursing home, tenderly holding her hand
explains that, "Even when the mind is gone, the heart shows through."
On a two picture spread a man and woman who met forty-seven years ago
on a picket line sit on a park bench while a bus riding boy shows his
teddy bear chum the sights out the window. A skateboarding girl
states, "I'm hoping to map out the places where homeless people stay.
Then I'll get a whole group of skaters to deliver bags with food and
necessities."
Some of the pictures are just plain whimsical. In one of my
favorites a smiling, turquoise haired girl says she stopped studying
to be a ballet dancer to learn how to become a trapeze artist. Her
parents' reaction? They were happy she wasn't calling home crying
every night. A woman who looks like she's in her eighties lets us
know that every time she forces herself to go out something wonderful
happens. A puppy peers out of a pocketbook; a larger dog runs through
grass and gone to seed dandelions. A couple of puppies captioned THE
1 PERCENT are dressed up more fancy than most people. A person in a
pink gorilla suit leaning against a cello is captioned, "DAMN LIBERAL
ARTS DEGREE."
This book is really fun to read. It certainly contradicts
rumors about what New Yorkers are like that circulate in the more
rural states.
On a personal note, I'm really impressed that the author had the
courage to try what he was interested in.
A great big shout out goes out to all who pursue their dreams even
when those they love think they're crazy.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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