Guardians of the Soul: Angels and innocents, mourners and saints—Indiana’s remarkable cemetery sculpture offers rare beauty, poignant emotion, and a renewed connection to our past. With breathtaking images by Hoosier photographer John Bower, and a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winner Claude Cookman of Indiana University, this timeless book makes a perfect gift or keepsake.
To create this stunning book, Bower and his wife, Lynn, traveled throughout Southern Indiana, thoroughly exploring its cemeteries. The result is over 180 breathtaking, duotone images of glorious, larger-than-life marble angels, as well as charming, folk-art children carved in limestone by local artisans. There are also mourning women, brave soldiers, and adorable animals. Crafted in a variety of styles, materials, and sizes, they all radiate with the love, hope, and faith of the family members who erected them.
The statues Bower has captured are simply extraordinary. As he says in the Introduction, "I see cemeteries as nothing less than outdoor museums. In fact, I will go so far as to say they constitute a national treasure."
