Our Smallest Towns

I'M A MUSIC PRODUCER AND I LIVE IN THE CITY - NEW YORK CITY. LIKE MANY, I CONSUME IT, AND IT CONSUMES ME. DENNIS KITCHEN'S BOOK 'OUR SMALLEST TOWNS' IS LITERALLY A WAY OUT. IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE TRIP WITHOUT HAVING TO MOVE YOUR BODY, GET DENNIS'S BOOK. FOR SOME IT WILL BE AN ADVENTURE, FOR OTHERS, A MEDITATION. ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT, 'OUR SMALLEST TOWNS' IS A COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPELLING STUDY OF AMERICANA. IT IS A PICTURE STORY, IF YOU WILL, TOLD WITH GRACE AND STYLE AND ART, THAT WILL TAKE YOU AWAY.

Here's a simple idea that worked great! Dennis Kitchen thought it would be fun to visit each of the 50 states and take a picture of the entire population of the smallest community in each. And that's basically what this book is - 50 panoramic photos of groups of beaming citizens posing in the midst of their tiny towns. Part of the genius of the thing is that the wide-angle lens shows not only the people, but also captures the buildings, streets, trees, mountains, and local dogs - i.e., what makes each community unique. The other part is that all but one of the communities fell right in with the author's idea (in that instance he shot the town but not the people). The text accompanying the photos recounts the ingenious ways some of the mayors devised to encourage their townsfolk to all be at the same place at the same time (not always 100-percent successful, but always close). Also recounted are various citizens' wry observations about life in a very small town. And when you ponder the photos, you realize that the folks looking out at you know a lot more about each other than a bookful of photos could reveal. But that's how it gets in small towns. All in all, this book leaves me feeling that just about anyone would be welcome in these 50 spots, even without a camera.