Reviews

Something Permanent by Walker Evans, Cynthia Rylant

dimples0508's review

5.0

Such an awesome book with photos and poetry that transcends the time period. Short read. It has very morose language and gives you a sad feeling.

laurelinwonder's review

4.0

Walker Evans Depression-era photographs are paired with poems by Cynthia Rylant. Rylant's simplicity captures the essence of the time period, giving you genuine glimpses into the struggles of the era. Published in 1994, this work provides an opportunity for students to understand the power of an imagined story behind an image. Also, a possibility to show students examples of how pictures and authorial voice can complement one another.

sarah2438's review

3.0

I have absolutely no idea how to rate this because I feel very conflicted. I like the poetry and the pictures, and I like the idea of telling a story based on a picture with almost no context. But when I first showed this book to a friend, years ago, she said she felt there was something dishonest about this type of work, and that's stuck in my brain. It feels uncomfortable for the author to make up stories about these Depression-era strangers that likely died before she was even born. There's stories of forbidden lust, of tragedy that she has no right to, that are projected onto these random folks that often seem to just be going about their business. Who are you to write a poem about the very real death of a child you don't know? Why do you look at this man sitting in a shop and invent a story about people thinking he doesn't deserve the job? I admire the creativity of this project, of creating a whole story from one photograph, but its questions like these that make it impossible for me to decide if I love or hate this book.
I'm giving it 3 stars for now as a middle ground but I may change that.