Occupants: Photographs and Writings

Rollins%E2%80%94writer, TV host, and front man of Black Flag and the Rollins Band%E2%80%94provides mostly photos of oppressed, poor, and marginalized people in the developing world. Each portrait of suffering is accompanied by a mini-essay, sometimes an attempt to get "into the head" of each subject, sometimes Rollins's personal reaction. Rollins can express real empathy, but more often the text devolves into shallow analyses and trite prose ("The human story is not a new one"). Also, a real disconnect occasionally exists between a photo and Rollins's reaction to it; for example, a shot of a prince's palace in Saudi Arabia is accompanied by words describing an anxiety attack. Some of Rollins's photos are undeniably compelling, such as two of a supine man in Thailand dragging himself along a street%E2%80%94but they are overwhelmed by the lackluster text. (Oct.)