One Hundred Young Americans

Terrific, it's all there, the kids' hopes and dreams, their passions, fears, mistakes. Michael Francini (and his team) did a terrific job in finding such a diverse group of 100 youths around the country. The portraits are fabulous. Each one made to fit and doing justice to the person in the picture. All telling different stories. Great light, composure, good ideas and great people, all of them! This is what portrait photography is about. We all can learn from each and everyone in the book. From who they are, what they want to be and what they have to say. Listen, try to understand and it will make you a better person.

This book was a last minute gift me sister picked up for me for Christmas, and I couldn't be happier with it It has easily ranked in my top three Christmas gifts this year The reason I was interested in this book was because I am very into portrait photography and trying to capture a person's personality in a photograph. And don't get me wrong, this book definitely did that. But it was more than that. For the first time, I finally got to see how teenagers all across the country live. I have lived all seventeen years of my life in sheltered suburban Long Island, and this book exposed me to people of all walks of life. Whether it be a 14 year old mother in California or a devout christian in Massachusetts, I was finally offered a glimpse into the world of teenagers like me outside of my little social world. Suddenly, I found myself wanting to know everything about these people. Reading their stories and then looking into their eyes. By the time I finished I felt like I knew each and every one of them. It took me an hour to finish this book, and that was the hour I snuck away from my family before Christmas dinner. I just had to finish it. This book would make an amazing gift to anyone. Budding photographers, aspiring journalists, teenagers, parents of teenagers.... I strongly recommend it.

I love this book. It is so unique and interesting. I have it on my living room coffee table, and whenever I have friends over, they invariably pick it up and read a few pages. Each subject is different from the next. From fresh-faced to brothel-bound, these kids are our future. The photography is beautiful. The excerpts are short and to the point. This book would make a great holiday gift. A ++++.

This is not just another "coffee table book". The content is well researched, polished and thought-provoking. The photography is crisp and edgy and it is a great read for parents, teens and anyone interested the future of the youth in America today. I would highly recommend this book as a gift. It would certainly be appreciated by anyone teenage years to senior adult. 5 Stars!

My daughter got this book from a friend who is in it. The pictures are amazing. I am blown away! This book has beautiful photographs, interesting and easy to read profiles of 100 American teenagers. It is a snapshot of what it feels like growing up in America today. Some of them will make you laugh or smirk or shake your head. Some will shock you, frighten you, hit you like a brainfreeze. Others will fill you with optimism or rage. There are familiar teens-- varsity athletes, skaters, goths, virgins and tramps-- and lots of kids who defy simple labels. An archery hunter bagging a moose, a girl who's a formula one racer, a boy killed in a driveby shooting. You can learn something from each picture, or you can just admire how cool they look.