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This post written by Clint The Oxford Project
by Stephen G. Bloom and Peter Feldstein
The town of Oxford, Iowa had a population of just under 700 people in 1984, and Peter Feldstein photographed almost all of them. Twenty-one years later, in 2005, he and Stephen G. Bloom returned and tracked down everyone he had photographed before. Feldstein took new pictures, while Bloom wrote down their stories.
Twenty-one years is a long time. Babies become college graduates. High school students are suddenly middle-aged. People in their fifties may be retired or even dead. A lot can happen in that time. The photos and short biographies give you little window into the lives of hundreds of interesting people. If you want a little sample, check this out.
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Where to Find It
[librarylist]
[linkplus name=”The Oxford Project” url=”http://csul.iii.com/record=b28693746~S0″ cchasone=some]
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This post written by Clarissa Japan Ai
by Aimee Major Steinberger
[cover name=japanai]
This is kind of a travel sketchbook, by a professional artist (she works on Futurama and other things you’ve seen) who’s really into Japanese stuff–costumes, anime, manga, kimono, dolls–and decides to go to Japan with two of her friends. She’s six feet tall and white, so she really stands out! Fortunately for her, and for the reader, she has a really good sense of humor. You can follow along with her as she and her friends experience Japanese trains, food, and hot springs; dress up like geisha; get lost; generally have a lot of fun. She uses her own style of drawing, which is heavily influenced by manga but still unique. The drawings are supplemented with lots of handwritten explanations about what’s happening, and you’ll learn a lot of interesting stuff about modern Japanese pop culture, because she generally knows what she’s talking about. This is really a one-of-a-kind book, giving you the feel of a trip to Japan with three fun, kind of geeky (in a good way!) girls the way a travel guide never could.
Go here for a preview, or click on “OMAKE” for 60 pages of bonus sketches and photos that weren’t included in the published book! (One page has a tiny amount of back nudity of a seated person.)
By the way, if you decide to look for this in a bookstore, it might be in the manga section, even though it’s not manga. It was published by Go!Comi, a manga publisher, so Borders puts it in manga, but a used bookstore might not. You may have to ask.
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Where to Find It
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This post written by Clint Project X Challengers: Seven Eleven
by Tadashi Ikuta and Naomi Kimura
[cover name=projectxchallengersseveneleven]
7-Eleven started off in 1927 in Dallas, Texas. Now it is one of the largest chain stores in the world, with branches in eighteen countries. Did you know that the whole thing is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd. in Japan?
If you expect the story of 7-Eleven in Japan to be boring, think again. The people who do Project X are very good at putting together stories like this. They focus on the people involved, and they create a fairly good mixture of drama, facts, and occasionally comedy. Yeah, I laughed once or twice while reading this.
I have a couple criticisms of this book and the whole series. First, the translation from Japanese isn’t great. It’s okay, but not perfect. Second, they focus a little too much on the drama and human interest and not enough on the story itself. Other than that, though, I’m pretty happy with it.
Project X Challengers: Seven Eleven tells the story of the first 7-Eleven to open in Japan. 7-Eleven was not originally interested in expanding to Japan, and most people in Japan weren’t really interested in getting 7-Eleven to open stores there. A couple of Japanese executives had to work really hard to get their own company interested in talking to 7-Eleven. Then they had to work hard to get the American 7-Eleven interested in looking at Japan. Once both companies were talking, they had to find some place to open a store and make it popular. Fortunately for them, a young man who owned a liquor store volunteered to convert it into Japan’s first 7-Eleven. However, business was slow, and for a while, it looked like 7-Eleven would never work in Japan. Then it exploded, and now the Japanese branch is the most powerful. (Not to mention inventing “conbini,” Japanese convenience stores, which have practically become a way of life in Japan. Here’s a Washington Post article.)
If you enjoy this, there are two others in the Project X Challengers series. One is about the first instant ramen, and the other is about the Datsun 240Z sports car. All three focus on the people and try to blend drama and humor in with history.
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Where to Find It
[linkplus name=”Project X Challengers: Seven Eleven” url=”http://csul.iii.com/record=b24775827~S0″]
[librarydate]
This post written by Clarissa The Tokyo Look Book: Stylish To Spectacular, Goth To Gyaru, Sidewalk To Catwalk
by Philomena Keet
[cover name=thetokyolookbook]
Unlike Style Deficit Disorder, this book wanders around Tokyo exploring various fashion “tribes” of the city, including flashy “gals,” Victorian doll-like gothic lolitas, cosplayers, and chic Ginza-neighborhood fashionistas. If you read manga or watch anime, you’ve probably seen all of these types. If you’re interested in high fashion or street fashion, you’ve probably seen these looks copied by American or European designers. This book includes five themed chapters with lots of candid photos of normal people in their outfits, photos of their accessories (even their manicures!), as well as explanations and interviews with both designers and fans, information about shops and costs, etc. Several reviewers noted that this book was interesting because it includes more guys and more people who are over 18 compared to other books on Japanese fashion. It also includes not just the typical “freaky” or subcultural fashions that foreigners usually focus on, but also mainstream examples of work clothing, upscale thirtysomethings’ fashions, and the expensive kimono that young women wear for their coming-of-age-ceremony when they’re 20 years old.
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Where to Find It
[linkplus name=”The Tokyo Look Book” url=”http://csul.iii.com/record=b25337090~S0″]
[librarydate]
This post written by Clarissa Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion
by Tiffany Godoy
[cover name=styledefecitdisorder]
Remember when Gwen Stefani was trying to borrow the Japanese street fashion image? You can read about the real thing in this book, although Japanese fashion changes pretty quickly–so once you’ve read about the terms and brands in this book and The Tokyo Look Book, you’ll have to go online to catch up with what’s popular now. This book explores the different aspects of Harajuku, which spawns tomorrow’s trends and often results in US fashion designers running several steps behind the random creativity of Harajuku’s strange mix of DIY teens and haute couture. There are about 200 photos, and essays by Japanese and American fashion editors, fashion designers, makeup master Shu Uemura, etc., covering everything from history to music to magazines. This isn’t just a picture book: many of the essays are pretty serious (so yes, you could probably use this as a reference in certain classes!) and some Amazon reviewers called this book a “must-have” for anyone serious about fashion design or Japanese pop culture.
You can read some of it online through Google Books.
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Where to Find It
[linkplus name=”Style Deficit Disorder” url=http://csul.iii.com/record=b25096335~S0″]
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This post written by Clint Tupac Shakur Legacy
by Jamal Joseph
[cover name=tupacshakurlegacy]
This book was written by Jamal Joseph, a friend of the Shakur family. It includes family photographs, reproductions of handwritten lyrics, poetry, and lots of other things.
You can look it up on Wikipedia.
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Where to Find It
[linkplus name=”Tupac Shakur Legacy” url=”http://csul.iii.com/record=b22678766~S0″]
[librarydate]
This post written by Clint Thin
by Lauren Greenfield
[cover name=thin]
Lauren Greenfield is a photojournalist who focuses on social problems in the United States. In Thin, she introduces us to residents of the Renfrew Center, a treatment facility for women with eating disorders. In addition to photographs, Thin includes personal narratives, journals entries, and essays by medical and sociological experts on eating disorders.
You can read some of it online through Google Books.
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This post written by Clint Thalía: ¡Belleza!: Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness
by Thalía, with Belén Aranda-Alvarado
[cover name=thaliabelleza]
Mexican singer, actress, businesswoman, and writer (among other things) Thalía shares some of her beauty tips, from skin care basics to inner beauty and spirit.
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This post written by Clint Class Pictures
by Dawoud Bey
[cover name=classpictures]
Dawoud Bey is a photographer who specializes in portraits. Class Pictures contains photographs of high school students with short autobiographies each student wrote.
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This post written by Clint They Never Gave Up: Adventures in Early Aviation
by Michael Wilkey
[cover name=theynevergaveup]
This book describes people’s attempts to fly, from ancient myths up to the early days of modern airplanes.
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Where to Find It
[librarylist]
[linkplus name=”They Never Gave Up” url=”http://csul.iii.com/record=b24463016~S0″ cchasone=true]
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