ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996                 TAG: 9603150107
SECTION: BOOKS                    PAGE: F-4  EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY MARIE BEAN 

PHOTOS PORTRAY GLOBAL FAMILY LIFE

MATERIAL WORLD: A Global Family Portrait. By Peter Menzel. Text by Charles C. Mann. Sierra Club Books. $20.

How does the rest of the world live? What are their most prized possessions? In this remarkable book, award-winning photographer Peter Menzel has given us an unforgettable portrait of the human family. Informative and sympathetic texts by Mann, Kennedy and others complement the stunning photography.

Menzel enlisted the aid of data experts at the United Nations and the World Bank to help determine what is an "average" family within the 30 countries chosen to reflect a cross section of the world.

Menzel and the photojournalists gathered information about the families, then "a bit trickier," they moved 30 families' belongings into the open to make a portrait.

"Material World" was serialized in national magazines, including Life, Harper's and Mother Jones.

Marie Bean is a retired college chaplain

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