Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange

Review Four

Partridge, Elizabeth. Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange. New York: Penguin Putnam. 1998. Print.

Annotation: The biography of the woman who photographed the famous portrait, Migrant Mother.


Justification for Rejection: It is always enlightening to know the back story behind to a widely known piece of art. And to know the story behind a piece art, one needs to know the story of its crafter. The Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange is a rich story, filled with a wide spectrum of characters, contributing to moments of adventurous excitement as well as disillusion in Lange's life.

Restless Spirit roughly follows a linear chronology of Dorthea Lange's life. The story opens with one of the most significant days in Lange's photographic career-the day she decided to follow her gut and photograph migrant farmers of a desolate pea farm off the beaten path. It was at this farm Lange captured the image of the Migrant Mother.

What gives Elizabeth Partridge's rendition of Lange's life an interesting edge is that her father worked closely with Lange as her photographic assistant. This acts as a double-edged tool for Partridge in that it provides her with accurate, accessible primary knowledge of Dorthea's life and work. By the same token, however, there are times where the author inserts small bits of personal commentary that feel slightly over-extended for the purposes of a biography. On the other hand, the direct quotes from Lange dispersed throughout the text work to the author's advantage. They mingle well with the biographic description and quick anecdotes of Lange's family life and career, providing an effective authenticity.

The design and format of the book are elegant, clean and the photos are clearly captioned and placed well, enhancing the context of the story.

Although it seems that the life of Dorthea Lange would provide immense possibilities for portraying such an interesting life filled with tension and adventure, the narrative seems to fall flat at times. In addition to this, there is the occasional phrase that comes off as slightly condescending or hyperbolic. In the attempt to direct the novel to a young audience, the language and level of vocabulary feels inconsistent to point of being problematic to the reading experience.

Overall, the story is an interesting read, providing vivid snapshots of Lange's life and work. The narrative also addresses relevant young adult issues like overcoming adversity and pursuing one's dream; Lange passion and activism make her a strong female role model as well. The photography is beautiful and works well with the rest of the text. Unfortunately, the inconsistency with language and vocabulary are enough to distract from the reading experience, thus meriting my nomination for a rejection.


Genre: Non-fiction; biography