Dorothea’s Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth

Rosenstock lyrically describes photographer Dorothea Lange’s creative development from a polio-stricken child from Hoboken to the photographer behind some of the nation’s most iconic images. As a child, Lange was teased and rejected by her peers for her limp, yet the very invisibility she feels becomes an asset as she learns to see “with her eyes and her heart.” As Lange grew older, she began taking photographs, eventually discovering her interest in capturing portraits of the impoverished and needy during the Great Depression: “Dorothea’s eyes won’t let the country look away.” DuBois gives his figures the pale skin and fixed postures of bisque dolls; a gauzy darkroom scene, lit in glaring red, reads like a moment of epiphany. Several of Lange’s photographs, including her famous “Migrant Mother” image, appear in a detailed closing section. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agency: Marlena Agency. (Mar.)