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American Dreams: Portraits & Stories of a Country
A powerful, moving collection of 170 portraits of Americans and their handwritten statements about what the American dream means to them.
Shot by one photographer over twelve years, fifty states, and eighty thousand miles, American Dreams is a poignant, defining look at people from every walk of life and a remarkable exploration of what it means to be an American.
Long fascinated by the idea of the “American Dream,” Canadian photographer Ian Brown set out to document, in photographs and words, what that dream means to Americans of all ages, races, identities, classes, religions, and ideologies. Over the course of twelve years, Brown traveled more than eighty thousand miles in an old truck, visiting all fifty states and connecting with hundreds of Americans. He knocked on people's doors; met them at town halls, diners, and factories; and approached them on main streets in small towns. He shot their portraits and asked them to write down their own American dreams. Their dreams and stories—which range from hopeful, moving, and optimistic to defiant, bitter, and heartbreaking—offer a fascinating, unparalleled perspective of the striking diversity and deep nuance of the American experience.
Shot by one photographer over twelve years, fifty states, and eighty thousand miles, American Dreams is a poignant, defining look at people from every walk of life and a remarkable exploration of what it means to be an American.
Long fascinated by the idea of the “American Dream,” Canadian photographer Ian Brown set out to document, in photographs and words, what that dream means to Americans of all ages, races, identities, classes, religions, and ideologies. Over the course of twelve years, Brown traveled more than eighty thousand miles in an old truck, visiting all fifty states and connecting with hundreds of Americans. He knocked on people's doors; met them at town halls, diners, and factories; and approached them on main streets in small towns. He shot their portraits and asked them to write down their own American dreams. Their dreams and stories—which range from hopeful, moving, and optimistic to defiant, bitter, and heartbreaking—offer a fascinating, unparalleled perspective of the striking diversity and deep nuance of the American experience.
- GenresNonfictionPhotography
368 pages, Hardcover
Published August 25, 2020
4 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Ian Brown
1 book1 followerIan Brown is an award-winning photographer whose work focuses on the human condition. His portraits have been acclaimed for their simple depth of emotion and honesty. He survived cancer at the age of nineteen, a heart attack at age thirty-two, and being shot at in the middle of a civil war in Colombia while on assignment for Doctors Without Borders. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and a number of international publications.
He lives in a cabin outside Algonquin Park in Canada and continues to try perfecting making pancakes for his daughter.
He lives in a cabin outside Algonquin Park in Canada and continues to try perfecting making pancakes for his daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 19, 2020
I was 21 years old when my American Dream died. The date — July 13, 2013 — left a scar bigger than any bullet ever could. In 16 hours, jurors of the Trayvon Martin trial rendered his murderer, George Zimmerman, not guilty after claiming the life of a Black 17-year-old child. I'd been home from college when it'd happened, had been poring over clips from the trial on social media like the rest of us, reading the nasty tweets, witnessing the adultification bias against Black children whose freedom to live a long, happy life was abbreviated by American racism. Trayvon could've easily been my baby brother. Could've easily been me.
Then came the names: Mike Brown, 18; Tamir Rice, 12; Sandra Bland, 28. The names hoarding like bones, and we still carry those bones like we carry the blood and trauma of our ancestors, our kin.
What came next is what always happens: No justice. No peace.
At a time when being a "proud American" seems more or less a frivolous badge of honor reserved for non-Black citizens, the stories captured in Ian Brown's American Dreams remind me that, though the strife of marginalized Americans is an enduring one, we have, with unimaginable strength, shown ourselves to be unbreakable. They prove how pain and struggle, albeit indiscriminate things, can render a person willing to change and show kindness to others who have suffered.
There are so many stirring accounts I enjoyed in this collection, but among the most poignant were Rick (pg. 18), Joe (66), Mai (118), John (142), and Megan (162).
Then came the names: Mike Brown, 18; Tamir Rice, 12; Sandra Bland, 28. The names hoarding like bones, and we still carry those bones like we carry the blood and trauma of our ancestors, our kin.
What came next is what always happens: No justice. No peace.
At a time when being a "proud American" seems more or less a frivolous badge of honor reserved for non-Black citizens, the stories captured in Ian Brown's American Dreams remind me that, though the strife of marginalized Americans is an enduring one, we have, with unimaginable strength, shown ourselves to be unbreakable. They prove how pain and struggle, albeit indiscriminate things, can render a person willing to change and show kindness to others who have suffered.
There are so many stirring accounts I enjoyed in this collection, but among the most poignant were Rick (pg. 18), Joe (66), Mai (118), John (142), and Megan (162).
September 15, 2020
I was so grateful to be sent a gifted copy "American Dreams" from Random House. It's a photo project in which portraits of Americans are paired with photos of their American dreams, hand-written in their own words. Some of them made me tear up, some of them were inspiring, some of them were just weird, and some of them made me roll my eyes. It’s safe to say, the meaning of the phrase “American Dream” varies widely. Ultimately I found the strength and hope in some of these pages really moving.
September 20, 2020
Portraits and Stories of a Country is a phenomenal book that gives you pictures and first hand accounts of real Americans in their own words of what it is to be an American. You can see how diverse the people are and get to see a little bit of what makes up America. All ages, all colors, single, married, short or tall; this book leaves you feeling with a sense of it all
May 7, 2021
In 2006 author Ian Brown began a cross-county trip to ask people what was their American Dream. He had them write it down in their own words and handwriting and he snapped their pictures. He finished up just before Covid shutdowns. He managed to find people of different races living in divergent economic conditions, and from a variety of adult ages and occupations. He assembled his work into this book. On one page is a person's written description of the dream and opposite is their photograph.
Many people described an American Dream that was different from the stereotyped white picket fence, single-family dwelling in a suburb. A few said that was just too materialistic, many remarked that it was too white and middle class to be realistic, and others agreed with the premise of secure housing and clean surroundings even if the suburban lot was not to their liking. A few people wanted America to be gun-free and a few others wished all citizens be required to carry guns. Not everyone wanted to live in a city and not everyone wanted to live off the land, but everyone wanted peace, education, and equality.
In fact, it was the nearly universal desire for security and respect that was most moving. The written dreams of the people Brown spoke with are forceful, articulate, and evocative. This was a book that was a slow read because I took time to think about what people had said. I'm glad I read it and I believe I'll be thinking about American Dreams for quite some time to come.
Many people described an American Dream that was different from the stereotyped white picket fence, single-family dwelling in a suburb. A few said that was just too materialistic, many remarked that it was too white and middle class to be realistic, and others agreed with the premise of secure housing and clean surroundings even if the suburban lot was not to their liking. A few people wanted America to be gun-free and a few others wished all citizens be required to carry guns. Not everyone wanted to live in a city and not everyone wanted to live off the land, but everyone wanted peace, education, and equality.
In fact, it was the nearly universal desire for security and respect that was most moving. The written dreams of the people Brown spoke with are forceful, articulate, and evocative. This was a book that was a slow read because I took time to think about what people had said. I'm glad I read it and I believe I'll be thinking about American Dreams for quite some time to come.
August 27, 2020
A powerful, moving collection of 170 portraits and their handwritten statements about what the American dream means to them. Shot by one photographer over twelve years, fifty states, and eighty thousand miles, American Dreams is a poignant, defining look at people from every walk of life and a remarkable exploration of what it means to be an American. (Synopsis)
I dare to you read these stories and not cry. This book contains gorgeous photos, but it also contains what people think of as their American Dream. Reading the struggles just broke my heart. That people can face so much difficulty and still be thankful for what America has given them is so eye opening. You will not regret grabbing a copy of this book!
What does the American Dream mean to you?
I can tell you what it doesn’t mean to me. It doesn’t mean having a president that cares so little about the hundreds of thousands of people dying from a pandemic, that adds fuel to the fire of racial unjust, and continues to line the pockets of the rich, while the poor struggle to feed their families and afford basic healthcare. It doesn’t mean continually pushing to divide our country further with outright lies. This is not my America, this is not my American dream. I hope every single one of you gets out and votes this November. It is more important than ever before.
Thank you to random house for my gifted copy of this book!
I dare to you read these stories and not cry. This book contains gorgeous photos, but it also contains what people think of as their American Dream. Reading the struggles just broke my heart. That people can face so much difficulty and still be thankful for what America has given them is so eye opening. You will not regret grabbing a copy of this book!
What does the American Dream mean to you?
I can tell you what it doesn’t mean to me. It doesn’t mean having a president that cares so little about the hundreds of thousands of people dying from a pandemic, that adds fuel to the fire of racial unjust, and continues to line the pockets of the rich, while the poor struggle to feed their families and afford basic healthcare. It doesn’t mean continually pushing to divide our country further with outright lies. This is not my America, this is not my American dream. I hope every single one of you gets out and votes this November. It is more important than ever before.
Thank you to random house for my gifted copy of this book!
April 23, 2021
Come to meet your amazing, thoughtful, deep, giving, genuine American neighbors
This photobook invited participants to provide 1-page essays on what their American dream is. The result is an inviting revelation to the goals, struggles, hopes and affections of Americans from all walks of life. The plurality of perspectives here ensures diversity of political stripe, activist focus, and level of optimism about America, but most are people questing for happiness and liberty not just for themselves but for everyone else. (Note: some people included are pretty heinous though, like a supremacist type). Encoded in this book are people's most essential, core beliefs, hopes, and frustrations. It also reveals how hard life has become-- people's dreams include basic services, such as running water, health insurance, debt independence, liberty from school shootings, steady work or freedom from wage servitude, an end to the opioid epidemic. A great photobook to know how deep-thinking and amazing the American people are, how nonlinear their lives and struggles have been, how valiantly they face the future, how generously they choose not to be embittered or apathetic about the present.
This photobook invited participants to provide 1-page essays on what their American dream is. The result is an inviting revelation to the goals, struggles, hopes and affections of Americans from all walks of life. The plurality of perspectives here ensures diversity of political stripe, activist focus, and level of optimism about America, but most are people questing for happiness and liberty not just for themselves but for everyone else. (Note: some people included are pretty heinous though, like a supremacist type). Encoded in this book are people's most essential, core beliefs, hopes, and frustrations. It also reveals how hard life has become-- people's dreams include basic services, such as running water, health insurance, debt independence, liberty from school shootings, steady work or freedom from wage servitude, an end to the opioid epidemic. A great photobook to know how deep-thinking and amazing the American people are, how nonlinear their lives and struggles have been, how valiantly they face the future, how generously they choose not to be embittered or apathetic about the present.
September 24, 2021
A very beautiful book with stunning pictures and heartfelt notes written by a variety of Americans. Personally, I found themes throughout the book including freedom, choice, guns, god, family, home, personal responsibility. There is also a good dichotomy of those who feel community is important in their American dream versus those who want to live on a homestead away from people and basically dropout of mainstream society. I read this for a work book club. The group discussion was...interesting. I think a lot of people, especially younger folks, confuse themselves with the subjects and topics a book like this can bring forth. It can be very triggering for them. In the end, I hope it opens their eyes to the amazing spectrum humans (specifically, Americans) inhabit when it comes to dreams and aspirations.
November 13, 2020
The beautiful photographs and hand-written notes tell each person’s story. From the illegal immigrant to the gun carrying advocate and everything in between, this book is an exceptional picture of Americans.
June 1, 2021
This book was very captivating. I think Ian Brown did a great job at getting a wide range of Americans. I enjoyed reading their words in their own hand writing it made it feel more personal and true to each individual. The photographs were great as well.
February 3, 2021
Absolutely for every American to read ..
March 18, 2021
The photography is great. A lot of the stories are illegible, but you can still get the gist of what the story is about.
October 25, 2020
Thank you to Ten Speed Press & Penguin Random House for the advance readers copy. This is a unique collection of photographs, paired with hand written accounts of what the “American Dream” means to people across the country. Simply put— visually stunning, thought-provoking, & one to share with others.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews