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Photo Book Reviews

Viva Colores: A Salute to the Indomitable People of Guatemala by Paola Gianturco and David Hill, published by powerHouse Books Article rating: 6.66

¡Viva Colores! is a joyful book, a celebratory book, a visual ode to the human spirit.  Paola Gianturco's photographs capture the vibrant hues beloved by the Guatemalan people, colors found in the marketplace, in the weaving patterns famous throughout the world, in the brilliant plumage of the national bird of Guatemala, the tropical Quetzal.  The title refers to more than the visual, however, for this is a book about people and Gianturco's camera finds the spirit of a people who are as vibrant as the colors that surround them in their environment and that clothe them with such brilliance.

Those who know Gianturco's other books Celebrating Women and In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World, have come to expect her compassion, her belief in humanity, her desire to aid the people she meets. Accompanied by the text of author David Hill ¡Viva Colores! continues this philosophy, and introduces us to the spirited people who have triumphed over the ravages of a civil war, over a poverty so intense that potable water was a luxury.  These people have prevailed over their lives, and Gianturco celebrates them with her camera while Hill celebrates them in words, both English and Spanish.

Hill tells us, "They are neither famous nor celebrated.  They haven't climbed Mount Everest or won a Nobel Prize.  Their heroism is implicit, part of their being --as you will discover when you meet them."  Turning the pages of the book, the reader is aware that these people stand for all of us - you, me, our friends and family, the stranger who nods at us at the supermarket counter.  They are us, but they are us with problems more severe than most of us know and their profiles make us proud to be human.  

Here in these pages is Alicia, born with only one kidney into a poor and fatherless family.  Conquering these obstacles, Alicia Is now a graduate of the University of San Carlos with a degree in journalism, determined to use her pen to aid others in her country.

Here is Bernardo, father of six who found the time to bring electricity, potable water, paved streets, a health center, a school into a village where once the houses were made of corn stalks .

Here is Gabina who states, "When you need help, and no one will give it, you help yourself."  Help she did, not only herself but her village, using her ingenuity to convert an old bicycle into a pump that brings water up from a well when pedaled.

Here is Luz, who put herself at risk to speak out against Guatemala's dictatorship.  Here is José whose brother died when mistaken for a guerilla. Undismayed, José went on to form a farming cooperative that today produces vegetables from the native zucchini to Chinese peas.

The list is long, the spirits so triumphant that we want to name every one, for what we discern in the people presented on these pages is a not only their personal determination and grit, but a concern that extends outward to the community.  Raised in poverty, their success is given to those around them.  They teach, they share, they pull others into their success.  ¡Viva Guatemalans!

And Viva Paola Gianturco and David Hill for their own selfless desire to share with the people who have inspired them.  The book proceeds benefit PAVA Foundation which works with villagers in Guatemala's highlands - building bridges, schools, water pipelines, community centers and housing; providing teachers and scholarships; planting trees, vegetables and marketable crops that enable women to add to their families' income.

About the authors:  Paola Gianturco's work has been exhibited by the United Nations, the US Senate, the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival, The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena and the Field Museum, Chicago among others.  She has been published by magazines and newspapers across the US and abroad.  She is also the author of Celebrating Women and In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World.

David Hill helps create communications strategies for heads of for- and non-profit organizations, then creates the communications these strategies call for.  He co-founded  Saatchi Corporate Communications in 1978 and headed it until 1993.  He is the author of Great Corporate Ads Are Made Not Born as well as Getting Heard, The Science and Art of Effective Communications.  He is the author of many magazine and newspaper articles and op-eds as well as several corporate films.  He holds a degree in Latin American history.

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	I FEEL THAT THIS IS A GREAT SUBJECT.These peaples live in fear and great parrel every day in there native land. But yet I can't say I know of a stronger, selfless,hard working peaple. Threw death and poverty, family and striving to make life ther better inspiers me. Threw these photographs you can see the happyness they breed. Posted by: Eric Ekstrom Oct 28, 2006 @ 10:15 PM EST
	I just returned from Guatemala and was blown away by the incredible images I saw all around me. These shots really capture the magic so inherent in the people there. Posted by: Delujo Jun 20, 2007 @ 11:16 AM EST
	I FEEL THAT THIS IS A GREAT SUBJECT. These Peoples live in fear and great parrel every day in there native land. But yet I can't say I know of a stronger, selfless, hard working people. Threw death and poverty, family and striving to make life they're better inspires me. Threw these photographs you can see the happiness they breed. Posted by: Johny Smith Jan 23, 2008 @ 9:54 AM EST
	I am from Guatemala and nothing makes me happier than seeing some people who actually opened their eyes enough to see beyond the poverty in which most people live and notice the amazing hearts most of them actually have. It makes me feel so proud to be Guatemalan and after I graduate from college in Indiana, I will go back home to try doing everything I can to help my country succeed. So thank you for the great comments and I encourage everyone to read the book, its incredibly enlightening and truly great! Posted by: Melanie Townson Sep 30, 2008 @ 8:47 PM EST

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