50 Main Street: The Face of America

For his ambitious and uplifting book of photos, Ribelli (Jah Pickney: Children of Jamaica), an Italian émigré, embarked on a six-year mission “to fight discord,” argues historian Douglas Brinkley in his foreword. Visiting 50 towns in 50 states, and one address—50 Main Street—he tells the stories of 50 Americans and their families. In California, George Sylva escapes a violent childhood in East L.A., joins the Navy as a combat cameraman, then builds a career in Hollywood before opening a boxing gym, where he helps teens troubled by gang violence. In Westfield, Mass., a doctor, Angel Morales, one of nine children sent to orphanages after his mother’s illness, becomes the first person in his family to go to college. Pearl Harbor has no such address (it was destroyed in the 1941 attack), so Ribelli meets Robin Tupa at her office at 174 Main St.—the lowest of the remaining addresses. Ribelli’s subjects are posed at home, work, and play, and he includes many supplementary photos to capture the essence of a place, usually with success, such as his shot of a nearly empty Jersey Shore. Some photos approach postcard cliché, though, such as a misty shot of the Oregon coastline. Ribelli’s experiences and perceptions are interwoven with his written profiles, and while at times distracting, they reveal an enthusiastic storyteller. Agent: Marcella Smith, Marcella Smith Associates. (July)