A review by thatsoneforthebooks
Days of Sand: Part 1 by Aimée de Jongh

5.0

As a historian of the US West, this is the kind of graphic novel I LIVE for. Grounded in history, this fictional account tracks 22-year-old photographer John Clark taking photos for the Farm Security Administration of the Dust Bowl in the panhandle of Oklahoma. Clark struggles with instructions to arrange his photos prior to shooting to maximize the effect of poverty and the unfortunate circumstances of these landscapes and people. Clark is provided with a list of photos to take of things like "orphaned kids" or family moving from the area, and Clark works his way through the most effective way of doing this -- by building relationships with people first rather than coming in hot with a camera. There's lots of think about here as a historian, not only in the historical setting, but also in the methods of collecting stories and relating to people.

Overall, the illustrations are incredible and the book is peppered with photos from New Deal photographers. I can't wait for the next edition!

Thanks to Europe Comics and Netgalley for this eARC!