The Burning House: What Would You Take? [Paperback]

Foster Huntington (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 10, 2012

“Fascinating….Provocative.”
—New York Times

“Answering this question reveals a great deal about your personality, priorities and interests.”
—The Guardian (UK)

If your house were on fire, what would you take? Foster Huntington has collected answers to this telling question from thousands of responders all over the world to get to the heart of what it is that people truly value. The result is The Burning House, featuring the best of Huntington’s popular website, TheBurningHouse.com along with a wealth of all-new material. Fascinating and remarkably revealing, The Burning House provides a captivating keyhole into people’s lives, feelings, and innermost thoughts that will especially appeal to the many fans of PostSecret, Not Quite What I Was Planning, Found, and Awkward Family Photos. Illustrated with sometimes moving, often unusual photographs of people’s most prized possessions, The Burning House ingeniously celebrates the differences between human beings around the globe—and the surprising similarities that unite us all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fascinating . . . provocative.” (New York Times )

“Simple and lovely.” (New York magazine )

“Answering this question reveals a great deal about your personality, priorities and interests.” (The Guardian )

“This book is what user-generated content can be at its very best: personal, passionate, surprising, and, above all, something that will spark conversation after conversation among friends and strangers alike. Brilliantly curated and endlessly addictive, The Burning House opens your heart and sticks to your soul.” (Larry Smith, editor of Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure )

“A poignant and revealing series of self portraits told in loving visual haiku.” (Frank Warren, creator of POST SECRET )

“The Burning House is brilliant in its ability to remind us that what we value most are not usually possessions but what they stand for. These deceptively simple photographs are powerful biographical portraits.” (Brian Lam, former Gizmodo editorial director )

From the Back Cover

Your house is burning. You have to get out fast. Suddenly you are forced to prioritize, editing down a lifetime of possessions to a mere handful. Now you must decide: Of all the things you own, what is most important to you?

The practical? Your laptop, your smartphone, what you need to keep working and stayin touch?

The valuable? Your money, your jewelry, the limited edition signed poster in the living room?

The sentimental? The watch your late grandfather gave you, the diary you kept as a teenager?

What you choose to bring with you speaks volumes about who you are and what you believe in—your interests, your background, your view of life.

With contributions from all over the world, The Burning House is an eye-opening pictorial meditation on materialism; an in-depth, intensely personal interview contained in a single question; a revealing window into the human heart.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: It Books; Original edition (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062123483
• ISBN-13: 978-0062123480
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Foster Huntington grew up in Portland Oregon, went to a small liberal arts College in Maine, and is now a photographer based on the West Coast.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too narrow in scope January 17, 2013

By Sibelius

Format:Paperback

Interesting concept but layout design and quality of image prints have room for improvement. Also the scope of people featured should've been broadened beyond the realm of artsy-hipsters for more varied content.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great conversation starter August 23, 2012

By Heidi G

Format:Paperback

So really, what WOULD you take if you had to escape a burning house? This wonderful book contains lists of what people from around the world said would be top on their list; a photograph of the items accompanies each list. While many of the participants seemed to lean toward the artistic side (hence "cameras and accessories" was the top category of items listed), some of the more memorable were from the younger and older ends of life's spectrum. From a 10-year-old girl describing her hair brush: "I literally bring that brush with me everywhere. It's sort of like a good-luck charm" to wisdom from a 70-year-old: "letters and ojects from a person very dear to me," the lists are interesting and will probably make every reader pause to wonder what those items are that should be in a suitcase near the door. Two other favorites: "Bottle of gin to reassure me during the fire. The same goes for a box of cigarettes and matches." and "A book of a hundred handwritten things my wife likes about me." A great conversation starter and yes, I'm revisiting my own list.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully wrought and understated August 7, 2012

By C. Houser

Format:Paperback

I agree with the reviewer who said this is user generated content at its finest. Brief, thought-provoking personal profiles, in photo form accompanied by a list, from people around the globe answering the question, "Which 10 items would you take if your house was burning?" Their lists say so much more than their biographical info. Brilliantly conceived and presented.