Book Recommendation: Highway 89 by Ann Torrence

This book is probably not what you expect it to be. When a photographer publishes a book about a road leading to seven National Parks, one might expect a tribute to the scenic beauty and natural history of the place, and indeed the book doesn’t disappoint. But, this book is about so much more than just geography and scenery.

Ann has a rare way of relating to people and gaining insight into their lives, struggles, hopes, and joys. The result is an amazing tapestry of human drama, colorful characters, and stories previously reserved to a privileged few, all posed against, and intertwined with, the dramatic and timeless landscape of the American West.

How many of us can muster the courage to stand in the middle of a road photographing a parade of Hell’s Angels, or the caring sensitivity to pierce through the hardened shells of small town farmers and cowboys, prompting them to share their most intimate fears, or the journalistic fortitude to track down stories passed down through generations in small rural towns? Ann is all that and the resulting book is a fascinating document of western Americana and a tribute to the lives of those who continue to hold on to the ways and romance of the American frontier in the face of imminent transformation, overseas wars, and a changing economy.

Buy this book, admire the photography, and most importantly: read it. It is a moving tribute to rare places and rare people.

The book is available from Sagebrush Press.

Tags: americana, ann, arizona, book, highway 89, hwy89, montana, national park, torrence, utah, west, western, wyoming

Category: Product Recommendations