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About the Book:
The Bronx had almost stopped burning by 1979. The intensity and extent of the devastation permeated the landscape. It was an awesome mess, not just another neighborhood, but another realm, visible but incomprehensible. The Bronx came undone in a confluence of unfortunate circumstances: the life cycle of community, rampant city planning, economic change, racism, poverty, failed hopes, drugs, crime, abandonment, counterproductive government response. It was destroyed for profit. The entire story has yet to be told.
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A friend suggested to photographer Lisa Kahane that she record it for a time when it would be a memory, which was then impossible to imagine. The ruins of the immediate past overwhelmed any idea of a future. Ironically, Kahane had a good time in the Bronx. People smiled and said, “Throw me a photo!” Few objected to having their picture taken and no one tried to take her camera away. They wanted their story told. Any discomfort the camera might inflict was nothing compared to what they’d endured.
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The result, Do Not Give Way to Evil: Photographs of the South Bronx, 1979–1987, is an extraordinary document of devastation and rejuvenation, as Kahane records the first seeds of rebuilding. Throughout this desolate world, the people live alongside abandoned buildings and debris-strewn lots, carrying on their business with civic pride. Though the buildings may be ghosts of their former selves, the spirit of the people holds strong. The book includes an essay by Peter Frank and text by the photographer, John Ahearn, CRASH, DAZE, Jane Dickson, Stefan Eins, John Fekner, Joe Lewis, SHARP, Rigoberto Torres.
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About the Author:
Lisa Kahane, a working photographer for over 25 years, specializes in documentary work and portraiture. She publishes worldwide in trade and consumer magazines, newspapers and books. A native New Yorker, educated at Barnard College, Columbia University and The New York Studio School, she has worked on location in western and eastern Europe and Central and South America. During the 90’s she photographed the impact the wars in Yugoslavia had on ordinary lives. In addition to solo shows depicting art and culture in New York City in the 1980s, her work was included in The Downtown Show at The Grey Art Gallery, featured in Urban Mythologies at the Bronx Museum and included in documentation for The American Century at The Whitney Museum. Her photographs are in private collections as well as the permanent collection of the New York Public Library, the Fales Library at NYU and the Library of Congress. With support from the Hudson River Museum and a private foundation, she runs a photography workshop for kids at risk.
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A Word from Lisa Kahane:
“Sara Rosen is a great editor. She looked at a collection of my work, immediately saw the book it could become and made it happen. She suggested simple changes that made big differences. Her energy and enthusiasm carried the day. I learned a lot working with Sara and thoroughly enjoyed the process.”
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Miss Rosen’s Contribution:
Editorial Consultation, Copyediting, Production Management, Publicity, and Advertising.
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Coordinated international publicity campaign including coverage in
City Limit, Flavorpill, Gothamist, High Snobiety, The Nation, New York Daily News,
New York Post, New York Times City Room, Record Collector, and Tools of War, among others.
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NEW YORK CITY | PHOTOGRAPHY
HC, 11 x 8.25 inches, 136 pages, 56 four-color images and 59 duotone photos
ISBN: 978-1-57687-432-5, $35.00
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Photographs ©Lisa Kahane
Cover courtesy of powerHouse Books