Customer Reviews

Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky (Great Plains Photography)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joel Sartore has captured the subtle essence of why so many Nebraskans that leave the state eventually come home to roost. Unbeknownst to most residents as they grow up, a strong imprinting slowly takes place. As Joel explains, the unique sense of family, community, place, and weather, all contribute to this phenomenon. Joel's photographs are a collection of these innocent but pervasive features of life in Nebraska. If you have ever struggled to describe Nebraska to a person who has never visited the state, this book is for you. It will crystalize your thoughts.

Fabulous, a must buy for transplanted nebraskans and residents alike.

The pictures put you right where the action was

What a great perspective on Nebraska. I lived there for two years as a young girl while my father was on a missile site and wanted to try going back without physically being there. The pictures are wonderful but the words are what really capture Nebraska. The humor was LOL and the Authors' gift for taking you into the photo gives the reader a great respect for the people of Nebraska. This book did take me back to Nebraska. Loved it

I moved away from Nebraska about 3 years ago to pursue opportunities elsewhere, and shortly after moving I purchased this book. Joel Sartore is a photographer for National Geographic and very active in local enviromental issues so I knew beforehand this would be an excellent testament to my home...and he did not dissapoint.

Coming from a rural place I did not miss the photos of the Old Settler's Picnic and June Jubilee...both major festivals in the Saline/Filmore county area. In one of the pics there was even a girl that was in my high school class, front and center! However, Joel didn't cover just my area of the state but the entire state. His photos evoke the culture and natural beauty of the state that go way beyond proving to folks from the coasts that we are more than just rednecks living on a flat plain.

In a word - gorgeous. The author - Joel Sartore - is a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, so you know that the photography is going to be something special and it is. Sartore travels throughout Nebraska, taking pictures of everything - an endangered beatle, rodeos and the cowboys that compete in them, pheasant hunters and fisherman, and Carhenge.
It's is a book that will those of us who live outside the state homesick for Nebraska. It is a reminder of Nebraska's true spirit - it's people. People who live in a state that's dismissed as uninteresting by most, but who make up for any perceived geographical shortcomings by being interesting themselves
Sartore honors his craft, as he captures those traits in the pictures of Nebraskans throughout this book. There isn't a lot of writing, just enough to describe what's happening with each photograph.
"Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky is a perfect Christmas present for that Husker fan who already has everything colored red. The price is right (less than $15 at Amazon, click the link above).

It's the kind of book you can pass around amongst your family at Christmas time, and I guarantee that they'll spend a few hours pouring over the pages. Well worth the money just to have around, even if you're not going to give it as a present. Leave it on your coffee or end table - someone will pick it up and it will provide hours of quiet entertainment for the holiday season.

Seriously, you don't want to miss this one.

Joel's work is extraordinary and will be appreciated by even those who have never set foot in the state of Nebraska. It will definitely make you want to visit, though!