Cohen, creator of the photojournalism book America 24/7
, edits this socially conscious collection of haunting photographs and disappointing essays that focus on the unchecked ravages of genocide, global warming, AIDS, child labor, extreme poverty and compulsive consumerism. While the pictures—especially the chilling “Images of Genocide” and Stephanie Seymour's portraits of child brides—disquiet with their beauty and horror, the accompanying text from such luminaries as Jeffrey Sachs and Bill McKibben is unfortunately hollow and anodyne, particularly Cohen's introduction (“do something... even something small... to help repair the world”), but Omer Bartov's statement that “Iconic photographs both record the deeds and potentially anesthetize us to them” provides a powerful caveat for this collection. (Sept.)
