THE BOHEMIANS
“If you loved Song of a Captive Bird like I did, you will want to read the latest creative historical biography by Jasmin Darznik. Featuring the photographer Dorothea Lange in 1920s San Francisco, Darznik paints an illuminative portrait of the photographer and the woman.”—Ms. Magazine, Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of Us 2021
For me, this book has it all: literary writing, amazing characters, and well-researched history. A superb look at Dorothea Lange, the ground-breaking documentary photographer. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the opportunity to read this lovely book.
JENA’S REVIEW
The Bohemians by Jasmin Darznik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
You may not immediately recognize the name Dorothea Lange, even when you learn that she was a ground-breaking documentary photographer. Her iconic photograph is titled “Migrant Mother” and if you don’t recognize the title, when you see the photo you will say, “Oh yes, I remember, I love this photo.” Jazmin Darznik’s fascinating book, “The Bohemians” is the story of Dorothea Lange as a young woman.
The book begins at the end of World War I in California, a place of sunshine and energy, less stuffy and restrained than the east coast. Dorothea Lange came to San Francisco from New York, a poor young woman, still showing the effects of polio in her leg. But, she had a love for photography, and some training in it. And she had a calm, pleasant and persevering personality.
She would need all her skills and personal assets to succeed. San Francisco had been rebuilt after the devastating 1906 earthquake. By the time Dorothea arrived, “bohemians” had flocked to the bay- artists, poets, writers. (You will get to meet a young Angel Adams!)
However, this was a time that was eerily similar to our own. A Pandemic, and a surge of nationalism (one example is the Palmer Raids) created just as terrifying a situation as the earthquake. Dorothea kept her friends close, especially some other photographers and a remarkable Chinese woman, who became her special assistant. Dorothea wanted a photo studio and she succeeded.
Her portrait photographs of wealthy families helped her care for her family, but what would feed her soul would be found in her future- the documentary photographs she took as part of a government program during the Depression. Friendship, and work equaled a life worth living for Ms. Lange.
This book is more of a photograph than written words. The author has captured the scenes of the time just as clearly as a camera would. Whether in Dorothea’s studio, at a society party, or with her husband at an artist settlement in New Mexico, the book evokes all the settings with remarkable skill. Ms. Lange and her assistant Caroline Lee are vivid and lifelike in the book- from their clothes, and makeup to their activities and adventures. I highly recommend this book and also suggest that you search online for the documentary photography of this talented and compelling woman, Dorothea Lange.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.
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Biography
Jasmin Darznik is the author of The Bohemians (April 2021), a novel set in 1920s San Francisco. Her debut novel, Song of a Captive Bird, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” book. Darznik is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life. Her books have been published in seventeen countries and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, among others. She holds an MFA in fiction from Bennington College and a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University. Now a professor of English and creative writing at California College of the Arts, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
About the Author
