The Bang-Bang Club : The Making of the New South Africa

I think the other reviews spell well to how impressive the story and storytelling is done by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva.The comment I want to add is my dissapointment at the publisher. This is a book about the work of photographers written by photographers and the images inside are worse than mimeographs from the 80s. I have seen faxes that are better quality and I am disappointed that Basic Books did not do the excellent and heartwrenching work justice with their printing.

Well written, you feel you are in the actioncould not put it down

All the stuff you didn't learn about apartheid in grammar school. Not for the faint of heart. Excellent depiction of how the trauma of war makes an impact on everyone involved.

This is a book truly deserving of a five star rating. It clears up a lot of the controversy surrounding the suicide of Pulitzer winner Kevin Carter. It is a well written and intimate insider view of the emergence of democracy in South Africa and the end of apartheid. It is well illustrated and has a very practical glossary. It is tremendous value for the reader and it will not disappoint.

It is a master piece that depicts so well the struggle and the determination of photo journalists who decided to bond together to tell the story of South Africa during its darkest days.

One of the best books I have ever read. Material sticks with you and lingers. I got a copy for a friend, and have let friends thumb through it. You say you are going to read just a few pages, but hours past before you put it down. Conversations with people who have read this book are never boring. I would highly recommend this book. BTW, stay away from the movie. The movie did not do this book justice.

Disturbing in a multitude of ways, this book offers a view of South Africa's "troubles" through the lens of adrenaline junkie photojournalists. It also offers a look at what constant exposure to violence and suffering of all kinds has on the human psyche of those who bear witness to it. Tough questions rise, not the least of which is the ethics involved in profiting from the suffering of others.

This disturbing book must be taken in context. The chaos of apartheid, the 35 mm photography of the day. The violence, the drugs, and the angst. The book sucks you in, and every now and then it spits you back out so you can breathe. Marinovch and Silva (mostly Marinovich, I think) create the swirl of smoke and danger that goes with combat photography. The descriptions of their assignments are vivid and at times heart stopping. They let you feel the physical and emotional toll of being under fire. Awards and prizes they win along the way fade into the haze of what they need to do to themselves to get by. The realization that those "reliefs" are as damaging as the horrors of human violence become evident. We recoil from so much of what war photography depicts, and if you have a sense of art at all you admire the men and women to take those photos. This will let you know some of them, and what they went through to make those images.

Wanted to read this for many years after becoming interested in the story of Kevin Carter, initially at least because of the Manic Street Preachers song of the same name.For those who don’t know, you’ll gave probably seen his most famous photograph of a vulture seemingly eyeing up a malnourished baby in Africa. It won Carter the Purlitzer prize which is a major honour but it also haunted him.The book is a great read, plenty of images and tells the story of South Africa during its move from apartheid to democracy and the pain they all went through.I bought my copy used, via an Amazon 3rd party seller. No issues.

El libro se entrega en perfecto estado y tiempo.Como lectura es 100%recomendable, ya que te muestra en 1ªpersona la experiencia de vida del fotógrafo y no solo del momento de fotografiar, si no también de vida

Il libro racconta uno spaccato di Sudafrica durante il periodo di transizione dall'apartheid al regime democratico, attraverso gli occhi di un gruppo di giovani fotografi (il cosiddetto "bang bang club").E' un libro bellissimo, maestoso, amaro e feroce che getta uno sguardo sul terribile prezzo in sangue e sofferenza fisica e psicologica che pagano i fotografi di guerra.Lo consiglio davvero a tutti; l'inglese è semplice e scorrevole.

Bereits der Film hat mich, trotz des seltsamen Titels, den ich ja erst nicht verstand, und dachte oje, was kommt da, begeistert. Es ist nicht nur ein Stück Zeitgeschichte, sondern lässt mich auch verstehen, wie die Arbeit der Kriegsphotographen, die mich oft stören, in Wahrheit ist.- Die Menschen dahinter, manche sterben daran, andere verändern sich. Das Buch ist leider kaum erhältlich, aber wer sich für die Geschichte Südafrikas, aber auch für Photographie und die Menschen interessiert, der hat einen Leckerbissen. Marinovich hat mir neue Horizonte aufgetan, weil er auch immer Mensch bleibt, weil ich sein Land liebe, und die Zeit damals erlebt habe, aber nie die Gedanken seiner Welt! Unbedingt kaufen..oder den Film schauen!

Marinovich puts into words the true meaning of being a photojournalist in a war zone. I kept thinking about Joao Silva while reading this powerful book. I think it is a must read for anyone really interested in conflict photography. It ads a huge dimension to those pictures we're all too familiar with...