The Debt Project: 99 Portraits Across America

by Brittany Powell, Astra Taylor (Foreword)

FEATURED IN THE NEW YORKER : The Faces of Americans Living in Debt Finalist for the Dorothea Lange/Paul Taylor Prize in Documentary. Featured on Politico , in the Washington Post , the Daily Mail , and the Huffington Post, USA Today, Business Insider, Refinery29 , and Fast Company . Based on the popular online photo series and now published in print for the first time, The Debt Project collects 99 portraits of debt across the United States, featuring people of all different backgrounds and stories, to recontextualize an often stigmatized experience. In 2013, Brittany Powell made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy for her photography business. In the years following the 2008 economic collapse, she found herself in a significant amount of debt, a position many Americans across the country still share, a common yet isolating and private experience often steeped in shame. Her personal experience, bolstered by the We Are the 99% slogan that came out of the Occupy movement, brought her to start The Debt Project, an exploration of the role debt and finance plays in our personal identity and social structure. This book presents an intimate look into 99 different each shares an arrestingly honest portrait in the person’s home, surrounded by all their belongings, accompanied by a handwritten note of the amount of debt that person is in and the story behind the numbers. The Debt Project , with a foreword by writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor plus resources at the back of the book to support people in debt, examines the social and personal hold financial debt has on us and invites others into a private world, while at the same empowering people to share their stories and overcome the shame they may feel.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Art

216 pages, Hardcover

Published October 27, 2020

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

One simple and invariable picture with each person photographed in the living room of their home, and a few paragraphs or less in each individual’s own words on the reason(s) for their debt. Their stories are printed in their own handwriting, giving the advantage of each person’s true words, not an edited or inferred version, but the drawback is that it can be hard to decipher what is written.

Seeing these short accounts of debt and its implications raises many interesting and thought-provoking questions and probably some judgements too based on one’s own experiences and circumstances:

What is debt? What is its purpose? Is debt a necessary evil?

How much debt is too much? When does debt become insurmountable?

How much responsibility do individuals bear for their debt? How and where do societal norms come into play?

What are reasonable expectations for how we can obtain and afford the things we want such as a house or education? How do we do so without also limiting opportunities? And like it or not, is there a way to really do so for each and every person, or do some just accept more readily the limits and constraints of money and life?

Why don’t we do a better job educating people on debt to income ratio and all financial matters? When will we begin to do so?

This is a great discussion piece as it raises these questions and many more, delving into the personal, financial, and societal causes, effects, and long-term impacts of debt on both the individual and society as a whole.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spent more time trying to read people's bad hand writing than learning anything. Lots of common themes that underscore the importance of financial education but that's pretty obvious.

[Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Features ninety nine profiles of people who have racked up debts. Some have chosen expensive school that has not produced a decent job, then blame...THE GOVERNMENT! Insightful.

[Austin J Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal book that looks at the hidden system of debt and how it impacts our lives many ways. Reading this made me empathetic towards others who are in this position because it made me think about how easily I could have been one of the individuals in this book due to choices I could have made but did not follow through on. It also made me think about how fortunate I am and how I was able to achieve certain milestones without much debt. I feel like this takes a great look at how the face of debt is not the same for everyone and how it impacts the decisions and choices that individuals make because of their circumstances.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The huge amount of education debt in this book was so discouraging, depressing and sad.

[Steve Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The vast majority of debt here is student loans or medical bills.

That shit's fucked up!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. Would have liked everyone's ages included, along with their incomes.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 individual stories of people in debt, 99% of which is student loan debt, medical debt, or both. Many of the interviewees were anxious, sad, and some even depressed, being weighed down by the burden of debt. Some debt is so large they don’t expect being able to pay it back during their lifetime. I looked up one gal up on Facebook/LinkedIn who was interviewed back in 2015, and she seems to be doing well seven years later. However, what we put on Social Media is more often than not the whole story.

The timing of coming across this book in the library couldn’t have been better. I hope the recent student debt relief will give folks a better outlook in life again.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the face of debt? What does a “debtor” look like? A fascinating socio-economic peek into the homes and faces of people who avoid, dread and have made peace with their debt. I stayed up late reading this book and staring intently into the homes, trying to decipher if I could figure out what happened- and what will happen.

[John McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sobering and valuable book for us all to read to understand both how easy it is to get into large amounts of debt, and how difficult it is to get out of that debt and to get on with our lives. I think these really brief, concise valuable portraits of people who are struggling with these challenges make priceless reading for everyone of us.

[L]

Powerful.
I remember in grad school that my advisor said she was over $100,000 in debt from her education. She said at some point she realized she had to keep living and do things like buy a decent futon and food, etc. 30-ish years later I sometimes wonder if she ever paid it all off. But that amount is nothing compared to so many stories. Shocking but also commonplace.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Rachel Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Simple, but communicates so much. It's so tempting for me to read the snippet of each person's story/life and judge and think of how I would have done it differently so that it would have "turned out better" but that's just not possible. Life is unpredictable. All you can do is try your best.

Which, I know, is a bit relative....but generally speaking, debt that weighs heavy on the heart and mind can happen to anyone. That is, unless you're a Kennedy or Rockefeller... 🙂

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While eye opening the portraits here feel almost too exploitative and voyeuristic at times. Also, it seems that the author gave no guidelines on debt definition as mortgage debt should have been omitted from the debt picture.
It is good to see the stories here, but also one should keep in mind that these stories are likely timeless and have had the same tale for eons (debt peonage was a thing hundreds of years ago) although certainly much more should be done to address education related debt in the US.