Award-winning photographer Matt Black traveled over 100,000 miles to chronicle the reality of today’s unseen and forgotten America. Exploring his hometown in California’s rural Central Valley, where a third of the population lives in poverty, he was inspired to create a vivid portrait of the nation’s poorest communities. His journey spanned forty-six states and Puerto Rico, focusing on areas with poverty rates above 20 percent. Black discovered that these poverty areas are so prevalent that they are never more than a two-hour drive apart, intricately woven into the fabric of the country yet disconnected from the “land of opportunity.” This visual record of his five-year road trip captures the vulnerable conditions faced by America’s poor through a compelling compilation of black-and-white photographs. Accompanying the images is Black’s travelogue, featuring observations, overheard conversations, diner menus, bus timetables, historical facts, and snippets from daily news reports. This monograph, supported by an international touring exhibition, is poised to become a future classic of photography, essential for anyone interested in witnessing the reality of an America often excluded from the American Dream.
Matt Black Books
