High School, U.S.A.

If you are looking for a nostalgic look back at high school in the late 70's and early 80's this is an excellent alternative to looking through old yearbooks.The photographs in the book are an outstanding look into the day to day lives of the students at Rossville, KS High School. The time spent by photographer Jim Richardson during his three years there really pay off.Mr. Richardson gives the reader not only a chance to see inside the world of the students, but through his comments and those of the students involved you are able to share the emotions of the moment with them.I have always thought that this book was an excellent photo study of high school life at that time, as a 1980 graduate of a small Kansas high school, I have always been able to relate with the students in the book. (Just like the ones I went to school with, except with the wrong letter jacket.)The book met with some controversy in the Rossville area when it was released. Many felt that it portrayed the school as a passion pit and did not feel that it was appropriate. It shows students sneaking a beer, and has a picture of a female student holding up a nude male centerfold at a party. But it is the private human moments like these that make the book what it is. (For the record: Kansas was an age 18 for beer state back then, and a 1/4 inch mark with a sharpy will fix the centerfold if it offends.)This review is based on old memories, as I have seemed to have lost my copy years ago, but I believe that it is still fairly accurate.The black and white photos in the book range from journalistic to pure works of art, they will tug at your heart strings if not for the students in the book, then for those in your own memories of high school.