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Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life
Photojournalist Dan Eldon left behind much more than the astonishing illustrated journals that would form The Journey is the Destination when he lost his life at age twenty-two while on assignment in Somalia. He also bequeathed a life story that has inspired students, teachers, artists, and creative activists--as well as a forthcoming film, an apparel line, and the Spring 2011 collection from Tom's Shoes. Raised in Kenya, Dan grew up with a unique outlook on life. Through adventurous safaris and benevolent crusades around the world, he crafted a philosophy of curiosity, creativity, and charity. This unique visual biography showcases previously unpublished artwork from Dan's acclaimed journals, letters, and snapshots that takes readers on a journey through Dan's life and beyond, exploring the impact made by this remarkable artist on everyone who has encountered his story.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published May 18, 2011
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166 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 18, 2018
For some reason I seem to be really into reading about creative people and their journals and sketchbooks lately.
Dan Eldon and his story is not new to me. Given the Kenya connection, I was intrigued when I first heard about him, and years ago I read a book that collected some of his journal pages. More recently I've watched a couple of biopics about the young man, his life, and his death while still in his early twenties while covering the war in Somalia.
I picked up this book to learn more about the man, and I really love the physical book format. It is a thing of beauty and love and was clearly not inexpensive to produce. There are full color reproductions of photos, his heavily collaged journal pages, letters, fold-outs, tip-ins, envelopes, pockets, etc., and part of the fun of reading this book is the tactile experience of it. The text however is rather basic and covered things I already knew, and did seem rather biased, as opposed to a true biography of the man. Given that it's written for a young adult audience that makes sense, but it didn't work as well for me. It was interesting to learn about the foundations and such that his family had started and the work they do to keep Dan's spirit/message alive.
If you are not familiar with his work this would be a good introduction, and it would be a really good book for creative teens, as Dan's story is inspirational and his art was integral to his life.
Dan Eldon and his story is not new to me. Given the Kenya connection, I was intrigued when I first heard about him, and years ago I read a book that collected some of his journal pages. More recently I've watched a couple of biopics about the young man, his life, and his death while still in his early twenties while covering the war in Somalia.
I picked up this book to learn more about the man, and I really love the physical book format. It is a thing of beauty and love and was clearly not inexpensive to produce. There are full color reproductions of photos, his heavily collaged journal pages, letters, fold-outs, tip-ins, envelopes, pockets, etc., and part of the fun of reading this book is the tactile experience of it. The text however is rather basic and covered things I already knew, and did seem rather biased, as opposed to a true biography of the man. Given that it's written for a young adult audience that makes sense, but it didn't work as well for me. It was interesting to learn about the foundations and such that his family had started and the work they do to keep Dan's spirit/message alive.
If you are not familiar with his work this would be a good introduction, and it would be a really good book for creative teens, as Dan's story is inspirational and his art was integral to his life.
June 1, 2019
Just incredible.
❤rest in peace and power, Dan.
❤rest in peace and power, Dan.
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November 5, 2012This very beautiful book about Dan Eldon "Safari is a way of life" is written by Jennifer New. It is biography of 180 pages! Dan Eldon was a photojournalist who grew up in Kenya and experienced so many wonderful experiences and had a unique outlook on life. Even though he died at a young age, he inspired so many people and had such a big impact on his family and friends. This book was such a page turner and all the postcards, photographs and letters included really caught my eye. I would recommend this book because it makes you so much moe open minded about life and makes you think that there is a whole other world out there.
February 11, 2020
This book is a work of art in itself. It's made to look and feel like one of Dan Eldon's actual scrapbooks cum journals - there are pages with insertions of brochures, photos, postcards, etc, all creatively pasted in, with many being removable, so you can take them out, look at them, feel them... as if you were going through Dan's actual stuff. The visual and physical appeal of the entire thing is amazing. Which isn't to say the content is not worth reading. Going through the journal, you do get a sense of who this man was and what he liked doing.
January 12, 2019
Didn't know much about Dan Eldon until I randomly saw this book in my library. Amazing artist, journalist, who died when he was just a kid in cross-fire. So sad as he had such promise and would have been an even more incredible artist and journalist had he lived. Inspirational. Wonderful collage of a book - fun to read.
July 26, 2018
I loved how this biography tells and showed who’s Dan was. Through the inclusion of his art, I felt like I was connecting with him deeper than if I was only reading a biography. His story will stay with me.
January 25, 2013
Why This Book Fits into the Reach And Teach Family AND Why We Love This Book:
Amazing young people in our lives chronicle their lives, actually in some ways live their lives, through pencils, pens, paintbrushes, and other tools that allow them to scribble, doodle, draw, and write in ways that are both silly and profound. At first glance at the cover of this book I immediately felt a connection to Dan Eldon, even though I had never met him and sadly never could. He packed so much life into his short 22 years on earth, and this book does such an amazing job of sharing that life, that I think it should be as commonly found on children's bookshelves as Catcher in the Rye was for previous generations.
Dan Eldon was compassionate, curious, adventurous, kind, loving, quirky, courageous, and one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. The book shares all of that through a beautifully woven tapestry of images, ephemera, journal notes, photos, drawings, scribbles, and captivating narration by the author. The reader will travel with Dan from school days in Nairobi to interning at a fashion magazine in New York to the nightmare of Somalia where he lost his life.
His life and this book are also testifying to the stupidity of war, the sensslessness of violence, and the tragic loss we all suffer each time someone falls victim to the sickness of hate. He also demonsrated, over and over again, the power that people of ALL ages have, to spot injustice, call it out, and make it stop. One of the cuter moments mentioned in the book was when Dan had finished a sociology exam earlier than the rest of his classmates. He asked the teacher if he could be excused but the teacher refused. He cajoled the teacher, saying there was no reason, other than an arbitrary rule, for him to have to remain in class. The teacher did not budge. Finally, Dan shouted "You're wasting my youth!" He was finally allowed to leave.
Cute moment aside, Dan was seriously concerned about the plights of people across the world and the consequences of war.
Among Dan's notes jotted in his journals are these two quotes:
"...Only the dead have seen an end to war." --Plato
"... Me and my clan against the world; Me and my family against my clan; me and my brother against my family; me against my brother" -- A Somali Proverb
This book fits into our Reach And Teach family because it tells the story of an incredible young man, who took his compassion for people and his quest for peacemaking and his unique talents and lived life fully. He demonstrated that when you apply your special gifts to transforming the world, it makes a difference. And even though Dan died at the tender age of 22, we believe his story and this book will inspire others to discover, as it says on the back of the book, "their creative spark and live life on safari."
The style of the book is also incredibly engaging, with a riot of color, photos, sketches, and little surprises literally sown into the fabric of the book. You never know what to expect when you turn from one page to the next and can pick the book up and open to just about any page and find something you have to really look at or read. I've never seen another book quite like this one, much as the world has probably never seen anyone quite like Dan Eldon. The team that put this book together did a masterful job. Stunning!
This book covers issues including:
Life as an "expat" - life living abroad
Photojournalism
Africa
War and peace
Sociology
Poverty
Book Details:
Written by Jennifer New
ISBN: 9780811870917
Published: by Chronicle Books October 2011
Format: Hardcover, Fully Illustrated Color - 208 Pages
Ages: 12 and up
Read more about this book and other books in our Books That Transform the World series at http://www.reachandteach.com/content/...
Amazing young people in our lives chronicle their lives, actually in some ways live their lives, through pencils, pens, paintbrushes, and other tools that allow them to scribble, doodle, draw, and write in ways that are both silly and profound. At first glance at the cover of this book I immediately felt a connection to Dan Eldon, even though I had never met him and sadly never could. He packed so much life into his short 22 years on earth, and this book does such an amazing job of sharing that life, that I think it should be as commonly found on children's bookshelves as Catcher in the Rye was for previous generations.
Dan Eldon was compassionate, curious, adventurous, kind, loving, quirky, courageous, and one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. The book shares all of that through a beautifully woven tapestry of images, ephemera, journal notes, photos, drawings, scribbles, and captivating narration by the author. The reader will travel with Dan from school days in Nairobi to interning at a fashion magazine in New York to the nightmare of Somalia where he lost his life.
His life and this book are also testifying to the stupidity of war, the sensslessness of violence, and the tragic loss we all suffer each time someone falls victim to the sickness of hate. He also demonsrated, over and over again, the power that people of ALL ages have, to spot injustice, call it out, and make it stop. One of the cuter moments mentioned in the book was when Dan had finished a sociology exam earlier than the rest of his classmates. He asked the teacher if he could be excused but the teacher refused. He cajoled the teacher, saying there was no reason, other than an arbitrary rule, for him to have to remain in class. The teacher did not budge. Finally, Dan shouted "You're wasting my youth!" He was finally allowed to leave.
Cute moment aside, Dan was seriously concerned about the plights of people across the world and the consequences of war.
Among Dan's notes jotted in his journals are these two quotes:
"...Only the dead have seen an end to war." --Plato
"... Me and my clan against the world; Me and my family against my clan; me and my brother against my family; me against my brother" -- A Somali Proverb
This book fits into our Reach And Teach family because it tells the story of an incredible young man, who took his compassion for people and his quest for peacemaking and his unique talents and lived life fully. He demonstrated that when you apply your special gifts to transforming the world, it makes a difference. And even though Dan died at the tender age of 22, we believe his story and this book will inspire others to discover, as it says on the back of the book, "their creative spark and live life on safari."
The style of the book is also incredibly engaging, with a riot of color, photos, sketches, and little surprises literally sown into the fabric of the book. You never know what to expect when you turn from one page to the next and can pick the book up and open to just about any page and find something you have to really look at or read. I've never seen another book quite like this one, much as the world has probably never seen anyone quite like Dan Eldon. The team that put this book together did a masterful job. Stunning!
This book covers issues including:
Life as an "expat" - life living abroad
Photojournalism
Africa
War and peace
Sociology
Poverty
Book Details:
Written by Jennifer New
ISBN: 9780811870917
Published: by Chronicle Books October 2011
Format: Hardcover, Fully Illustrated Color - 208 Pages
Ages: 12 and up
Read more about this book and other books in our Books That Transform the World series at http://www.reachandteach.com/content/...
July 30, 2022
Interesting Scrapbook of a young Photo Journalist. It's too bad he never knew it was going to be published. Maybe he did, but mostly his Photography. His quote from Plato was even used for the movie Black Hawk Down. "Only The Dead Have Seen The End Of War."
August 11, 2016
I love the design of this book. It incorporates the story of photojournalist and activist Dan Eldon's life and the impact he made on others - even after his death - with images and pages from his art journals. The printed book itself has the feel of an art journal, thanks to the layout and the fact that art Dan made are attached as inserts or stuck onto some pages as postcards, pullout pages and postcards.
This book is an excellent visual biography but if you have read about his life, you may not learn much from Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life. It's a bit of a biography lite in terms of how his story is told in text. It's a good summary but there is little detailed commentary and not enough anecdotes recounted by friends and family. But you do get a good sense of the person he was, how he saw the world, how he lived his life and how he tried to make a difference.
That Dan Eldon was a creative and unique individual who led an extraordinary life comes through in the book. It shows he combined the opportunities and privileges he enjoyed as an an expat kid growing up in Africa with his curiosity, compassion and love for life in a remarkable way that left imprints on numerous other lives during his lifetime and after he was tragically killed at age 22 while on assignment in Somalia. Dan Eldon left his mark in an indelible way. There is a chapter at the end on the works and missions of some people who were inspired by him to do good, start movements and help change the world in their own ways.
You might well be inspired to do the same if you read this superbly presented and inspirational book.
4.5
This book is an excellent visual biography but if you have read about his life, you may not learn much from Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life. It's a bit of a biography lite in terms of how his story is told in text. It's a good summary but there is little detailed commentary and not enough anecdotes recounted by friends and family. But you do get a good sense of the person he was, how he saw the world, how he lived his life and how he tried to make a difference.
That Dan Eldon was a creative and unique individual who led an extraordinary life comes through in the book. It shows he combined the opportunities and privileges he enjoyed as an an expat kid growing up in Africa with his curiosity, compassion and love for life in a remarkable way that left imprints on numerous other lives during his lifetime and after he was tragically killed at age 22 while on assignment in Somalia. Dan Eldon left his mark in an indelible way. There is a chapter at the end on the works and missions of some people who were inspired by him to do good, start movements and help change the world in their own ways.
You might well be inspired to do the same if you read this superbly presented and inspirational book.
4.5
August 11, 2016
I love the design of this book. It incorporates the story of photojournalist and activist Dan Eldon's life and the impact he made on others - even after his death - with images and pages from his art journals. The printed book itself has the feel of an art journal, thanks to the layout and the fact that art Dan made are attached as inserts or stuck onto some pages as postcards, pullout pages and postcards.
This book is an excellent visual biography but if you have read about his life, you may not learn much from Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life. It's a bit of a biography lite in terms of how his story is told in text. It's a good summary but there is little detailed commentary and not enough anecdotes recounted by friends and family. But you do get a good sense of the person he was, how he saw the world, how he lived his life and how he tried to make a difference.
That Dan Eldon was a creative and unique individual who led an extraordinary life comes through in the book. It shows he combined the opportunities and privileges he enjoyed as an an expat kid growing up in Africa with his curiosity, compassion and love for life in a remarkable way that left imprints on numerous other lives during his lifetime and after he was tragically killed at age 22 while on assignment in Somalia. Dan Eldon left his mark in an indelible way. There is a chapter at the end on the works and missions of some people who were inspired by him to do good, start movements and help change the world in their own ways.
You might well be inspired to do the same if you read this superbly presented and inspirational book.
4.5
This book is an excellent visual biography but if you have read about his life, you may not learn much from Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life. It's a bit of a biography lite in terms of how his story is told in text. It's a good summary but there is little detailed commentary and not enough anecdotes recounted by friends and family. But you do get a good sense of the person he was, how he saw the world, how he lived his life and how he tried to make a difference.
That Dan Eldon was a creative and unique individual who led an extraordinary life comes through in the book. It shows he combined the opportunities and privileges he enjoyed as an an expat kid growing up in Africa with his curiosity, compassion and love for life in a remarkable way that left imprints on numerous other lives during his lifetime and after he was tragically killed at age 22 while on assignment in Somalia. Dan Eldon left his mark in an indelible way. There is a chapter at the end on the works and missions of some people who were inspired by him to do good, start movements and help change the world in their own ways.
You might well be inspired to do the same if you read this superbly presented and inspirational book.
4.5
January 21, 2012
Dan Eldon grew up in Kenya where he was drawn to the land and its people. His parents and educational experiences encouraged his creative spirit, and he recorded his thoughts in journals filled with notes, photographs, and whatever realia he could find to paste in the journals' pages. This book tells about the incredible life this young photojournalist led before being killed in 1993 at the age of 22 in Mogadishu. As such, the pages are filled with descriptions of Dan's adventures but also with pages from his journals. Here was a young man who didn't just worry about the world's problems but took steps to make a difference. After creating a student organization to raise money to aid refugees, Dan and his friends traveled to Malawi themselves in order to make sure the $20,000 they had raised was used wisely. While his travels and personality loom large in this book, equally impressive is how the work he did lives on today through the efforts of family, friends, and others who are inspired to do their part to make a difference. This book is a reminder that one person can make a difference. The only criticism I have with the book is how some illustrations have captions while others don't, leaving the reader somewhat at sea as to where those illustrations fit in the story. It might be helpful to know when they were drawn. Still, this is a beautiful volume, and like so many others, I wondered what sort of life Dan might have led had he lived a longer amount of time.
October 17, 2012
This is a quick read, mostly pictures of pages from Dan Eldon's journals. Dan died at age 22 while working in Somalia as a photojournalist. He grew up in Nairobi with his father Mike, mother Kathy, who moved to London when he was a teenager, and his sister Amy. His mother was a Knapp from Iowa, parents Russell and Louise. I don't know if they are related to the real estate Knapp family in Des Moines, but I suspect they are because they were wealthy enough to travel the globe when Kathy was young. Dan was a charmer and a philanthropist at a young age. He raised money in college, in California, and went with a group of fellow students to deliver the money to suffering people in Malawi. He achieved so much in his young life. I feel like a slacker. He left a record of all of his adventures in journals filled with collages, photos, and writings.
The author of this book is from Iowa City.
The author of this book is from Iowa City.
February 6, 2012
I have been fascinated with Dan Eldon since I first encountered "The Journey is the Destination" in 1997. Since then, I've given that book as a graduation gift to several people. As a teen librarian I was thrilled to see a Dan Eldon biography published, with a bigger glimpse into the short life of this truly visionary young man. A perfect book for artists, journalists, photographers, dreamers...
August 16, 2013
Dan Eldon was a beautiful young man, a photojournalist, who died while covering the famine in Somalia in 1992. He jammed more good deeds and enthusiasm into 22 years than the rest of generate in a lifetime. For more on his legacy see daneldon.com or daneldon.org I plan to look into more of the documentaries and books that followed on his death more than two decades ago. Note my disagreement that this book is young adults.
May 10, 2013
My neighbor told me about this book after having just met Kathy and Amy Eldon and said that if I loved Africa, which he knew I did, I needed to immediately go buy this book. I've since given about twenty copies of the book away to fellow travelers all over the world. I love Dan's mantra: Safari as a way of life.
May 22, 2013
One of my favorite artists- just gone way to soon for all of that talent. it is great to see how his legacy lives on and how much he was able to accomplish. I really like the webpage and foundation that is set up in his name and the great works that they do. His work inspires to make the most of the time that you have, that is all we can do.
January 28, 2014
Loved this scrapbook-style biography about the short life of Dan Eldon, a graduate of the International School of Kenya. He became a photographer covering the famine in Somalia and recorded his life - viewed as a grand adventure or "safari" - in journals packed with artwork. He was killed at age 22.
December 31, 2011
Last book of 2011! Dan Eldon was an artist and photojournalist who died young (22). He lived an exuberant life, however, and much of its energy is depicted in his illustrated journals. Inspiring and beautiful!
May 4, 2014
I.. Loved. This. Book.
It inspired me even more to work in Africa. Dan Eldon was such a beautiful man (inside and out) and I wish he could still be with us today. Thanks to New and Eldon's family for having the courage to share this heart-breaking story. It has inspired so many.
It inspired me even more to work in Africa. Dan Eldon was such a beautiful man (inside and out) and I wish he could still be with us today. Thanks to New and Eldon's family for having the courage to share this heart-breaking story. It has inspired so many.
May 25, 2015
The format, Jennifer, is engaging and stunning; the story of Dan I only found moderately compelling though-- it seems for how much journal there is, a more clear revelation of his emotions could be developed.
February 7, 2012
A fascinating visual biography of an artist, adventurer, and humanitarian who died much too young.
August 12, 2013
Oh that handsome & inspiring Dan Eldon!
May 9, 2016
Nice picture into a life too soon ended.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews