From My Land to the Planet

Weaving together autobiography, political exposition, global history, and meditations on evolution and globalization, Salgado takes an unapologetic look back on his career as a photographer, providing thought-provoking background to his unfailingly difficult photo endeavors. Spanning seven decades, the book takes readers from the expansive State of Minas Gerias, Salgado's birthplace, to the bitterly cold Yamal Peninsula of Siberia, to the troglodyte churches of Ethiopia, which took Salgado "into the heart of the earth and the dawn of time." His narrative often approaches the mythological, as the artist circles back to his origins, returning to Minas Gerias with his wife Lelia to restore the 93% of Brazil's Atlantic Forest that have been destroyed with increasing rapidity over the last few decades, and subsequently embarking on Genesis, a reportage devoted to untouched landscapes. Yet, it can be jarring to read stories of horrific violence in Mozembique and Rwanda along with overly technical passages concerning particular types and sizes of film and fundraising politics. Nevertheless, admirers of Salgado's art will find this self-portrait rich and illuminating. (Sept.)