Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

by Kyle Cassidy (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...Each picture in Armed America could be a pro-gun advertisement - or an anti-gun poster. That's what makes the book so riveting." -- The Washington Post, July 29, 2007

"Cassidy's genius... vividly captures the subjects' personalities as well as their widely differing views on gun ownership." -- Guns & Ammo, October 2007

"...stunning photos... You can't finish this book and still make blanket judgments about gun owners." -- The Library Journal, September 1, 2007

"What we have here folks, between two covers, is that greatest of rarities, a fair picture of who owns guns." -- Field & Stream, David Petzel, 2007 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

In 2004 after a fractious election in which the gun argument played a significant part, photo-journalist Kyle Cassidy hit the road to learn why so many people owned so many guns. His search for answers took him on a journey that extended over two years and 15,000 miles. Ultimately, more than a hundred gun owners opened their doors and their lives to him, answering the single question he asked: "why". The result is a collection of striking and thought provoking photographs.

Few issues generate as much debate as firearms. Without taking a pro or con stance, Armed America shows the faces of American gun owners and gives voice to each individual "why"... without ancillary comment, editorializing, or judgment. These "everyman" portraits reveal people from different backgrounds, living in various locations, with one common connection. "I tried to remove 'gun owner' from my mind as much as possible when making the actual photograph," says Cassidy. "I would go into someone's house and immediately start thinking 'how can I capture this person or this family fairly?" While it would be very easy for any photographer to pose a man with a military weapon in a stern and menacing way, light it dramatically and come away with a shocking photograph, Cassidy chose another more accurate and startling route. "I would ask myself 'What's this guy like every day? How do his friends and family see him?' He's a guy who owns a parakeet, or two cats, or a poodle, he's got two kids -- he doesn't frown all day long because he's got a gun." This riveting collection of over 100 photographs will capture every reader's attention and voyeuristic intrigue -- whatever their stance on gun control. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896895432
• ASIN: B0013TFBPG
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,178,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #62 in	Books > Bargain Books > Arts & Photography > Art
  #85 in	Books > Nonfiction > Current Events > Gun Control

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book surprised me, July 11, 2007

By	Spleen (washington, dc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

I am embarrassed that I started out with such a small-minded view of gun ownership. I thought I was against guns and seeing pictures of them was viscerally disturbing them to me. However, reading what people actually had to say about their gun ownership did make me open my mind on the issue.

I appreciate that the book portrays first and foremost the people and does not slant or objectify them (there is no political agenda) which leaves me able to digest the contents for myself. The author's intro paragraph is very succinct and imaginitive; he is not only a gifted photographer but a unique writer as well. The photos are also really interesting because there's usually something going on in the background - you can see pets in motion captured at a moment in time or interesting expressions on the people's faces.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Independence Day, July 7, 2007

By	William D. Nelsch "Bill in Denver" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

Kyle,

I received your book on, of all days, Independence Day (it was delivered yesterday to my office and I didn't see it until today). My first impressions are - WOW. It reached me on so many different levels: the 'familial' based on one of our LUG family creating a masterpiece; the photographic, based on the technique in achieving the images - bounce flash, rear fill flash, and the inadvertent (?) self portrait on page 127; the contextual notion that the Second Amendment (I am a left wing Democrat, christian more of an Episcobuddhist, anti-war, anti-violence, etc. ) must be always enforced, and in light of the recent idiocy in the WH seems ever more important; and finally the sub-context of all of the animals is just delightful.

This is so much different, and better, than what I had expected after reviewing the online images. Seeing the images in print form allows for so much more detail; the messiness/neatness of the subject environs; the additional items, or lack thereof, in their living areas adds so much more to the meaning of each photo. I can't help but wonder how much of the shoot was staged vs. their actual environment. And the captures of the animals are priceless. This was no easy task.

I was also struck by the verbosity or lack thereof of the subjects when commenting on their gun ownership and what stuck me most was the argument that the Second Amendment, like all of the Amendments, must be upheld against the moneyed interest purchasing politicians attempting to take away ANY freedoms. This is akin to the NRA, ACLU and Sierra club all agreeing on the same thing.

I don't like guns. I was going to say I don't have any guns but that isn't exactly true - I have an old flintlock from the Spanish American war that belonged to a relative of mine standing in the corner of my living room. Why? It just looks neat. This book doesn't necessarily change my need to have or not have guns but it does cause me to rethink any notion of banning guns.

Well, done, Kyle, well done.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reconsidering my preconceptions..., June 21, 2007

By	Jennifer A. Summerfield (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

Every time I open "Armed America," I am struck by a different image... another face or interior that begs attention and complete focus... which, I think, is a testament to how powerful the photography itself is. As someone who has always regarded guns with apprehension and never considered firing one, let alone owning one, "Armed America" has forced me to reconsider my stance. There is such a broad cross-section of the American population represented that each page seems to bring a different revelation. The fact that the subjects are allowed to speak for themselves, their words printed below their image, allows you to draw your own conclusions, without the photographer's own views, (which remain a mystery,) getting in the way.

It's a fascinating document of American culture... both past and present... and in turning each page, you feel you're on a journey with the photographer, rediscovering this vast, complex country.