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Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange’s desperate and beautiful pictures of migrant workers in California and her heartbreaking photographs of Japanese Americans interned during World War II put human faces on some of the darkest episodes in America’s history. Restless Spirit is an intimate portrait of a woman who struggled to balance her passion for her career and her love for her family, all while producing some of the most celebrated, powerful photographic works of their time. Told by Lange’s goddaughter, National Book Award finalist, Elizabeth Partridge, Restless Spirit is a testament to this brilliant photographer's work.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 29, 2007
Stunning photography paired with vivid details of the photographer's life (by someone who knew her personally.) I liked the blunt way the author gave the facts about Dorothea Lange, not sugar-coating either the difficulties she encountered as a female artist with children, or the difficulties she caused others with her stubborn and sometimes prickly personality.
My favorite quote: "No subject can hold anything that is false for them for long. So you have to wait until certain decisions are made by the subject. What is he going to give to the camera? And the photographer, what is he going to take?"
My favorite quote: "No subject can hold anything that is false for them for long. So you have to wait until certain decisions are made by the subject. What is he going to give to the camera? And the photographer, what is he going to take?"
December 3, 2014
Lots of interesting information about life during the Depression in California while following the photographer who took many photos of Okies and other disenfranchised (striking laborers, homeless, interned Japanese). It also had a lot of interesting things to say about how difficult it's been for women to be artists and have a traditional family. Both of these themes were complex and thoughtfully expressed...not overly explained or judged.
The photographs were well chosen. Would be a worthwhile follow-up to Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. It felt more real and plain than that text. The photos brought out the reality of Depression migration.
Where it failed:
The author tried to move seamlessly between 3rd person and 1st person quotes. This made it read like an awkward youth biography. It also felt like the author had trouble deciding if this was a youth bio or an adult photo-essay. Many of the themes were complex and probably difficult for a child or teen (how hard it is for women to be artists and have families, how a woman can sacrifice her needs as an artist and a person for her artist husband and not expect that in return from him, perfectionism and failure) and yet the author glossed over her affairs, even though she divorced her first husband for another man.
It's a bit awkward that her 'migrant mother' story (her best known work) was discussed in the prologue to the rest of the story. I've seen this done before but it lost a lot of context there. It felt like she wanted to get it out of the way.
It read as a warm but realistic family biography. Probably not the best one out there on Lange, it lacked a variety of POVs on her, but definitely one with that insiders knowledge of Lange's character and drive.
The photographs were well chosen. Would be a worthwhile follow-up to Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. It felt more real and plain than that text. The photos brought out the reality of Depression migration.
Where it failed:
The author tried to move seamlessly between 3rd person and 1st person quotes. This made it read like an awkward youth biography. It also felt like the author had trouble deciding if this was a youth bio or an adult photo-essay. Many of the themes were complex and probably difficult for a child or teen (how hard it is for women to be artists and have families, how a woman can sacrifice her needs as an artist and a person for her artist husband and not expect that in return from him, perfectionism and failure) and yet the author glossed over her affairs, even though she divorced her first husband for another man.
It's a bit awkward that her 'migrant mother' story (her best known work) was discussed in the prologue to the rest of the story. I've seen this done before but it lost a lot of context there. It felt like she wanted to get it out of the way.
It read as a warm but realistic family biography. Probably not the best one out there on Lange, it lacked a variety of POVs on her, but definitely one with that insiders knowledge of Lange's character and drive.
April 9, 2019
This is a fascinating biography about Dorothea Lange, the woman made famous by her photographs of the Great Depression. She was raised in New York City by her mother and grandmother. Both women were too busy to give much attention to Dorothea or her brother, so she was on her own for many hours at a time. Her time roaming led to a lot of people watching, which sparked her interest in photography.
Once old enough, she moved to San Francisco and started her own portrait studio. She married and had two boys. She tried desperately to fulfill the roll of wife and mother, but her heart always preferred to be taking photographs. She had a stint during the Great Depression when she was on the government payroll, assigned to photograph the plight of the poor families moving to California. Most people consider these photos her best work.
This is a fairly quick read. A great book for those interested in the Great Depression or women who stepped out of traditional roles to follow their passion.
Once old enough, she moved to San Francisco and started her own portrait studio. She married and had two boys. She tried desperately to fulfill the roll of wife and mother, but her heart always preferred to be taking photographs. She had a stint during the Great Depression when she was on the government payroll, assigned to photograph the plight of the poor families moving to California. Most people consider these photos her best work.
This is a fairly quick read. A great book for those interested in the Great Depression or women who stepped out of traditional roles to follow their passion.
May 28, 2018
There are longer and more in-depth biographies of Dorothea Lange. I was interested in her work and the history of the time in which she did her work but I didn't want to invest the time needed to read a long biography.
This book is rather short, and is illustrated with many photos by Dorothea Lange. There are also a few photos of Dorothea Lange as well.
The book hits the right spot for me. I learned the general outline of her life and work (which I had some familiarity with, but not much detailed knowledge of). The writing is very good and it's easy to read quickly.
I got a used copy of this book... it appears that it's no longer in print. It's probably available from the public library and since it's a quick read this would be a good way to get a copy. That said, you may want to own a copy so you can revisit the photographs in the book.
This book is rather short, and is illustrated with many photos by Dorothea Lange. There are also a few photos of Dorothea Lange as well.
The book hits the right spot for me. I learned the general outline of her life and work (which I had some familiarity with, but not much detailed knowledge of). The writing is very good and it's easy to read quickly.
I got a used copy of this book... it appears that it's no longer in print. It's probably available from the public library and since it's a quick read this would be a good way to get a copy. That said, you may want to own a copy so you can revisit the photographs in the book.
December 27, 2025
I tore through this book. I kept telling myself that I was going to go to bed, but I didn't actually close it until my body started to shut down. then, as soon as I woke up, I went straight back to the couch and started reading it again. I loved learning about the history and seeing the photographs and reading about an artist's struggle to do really important and amazing work while also being there for her family. Which, if I'm being totally honest, she wasn't for most of her kids' childhoods, though she desperately tried to make up for it as they grew up. It made me think. And of course the historical context was fascinating and educational.
July 15, 2017
Fascinating & sad, yet beautiful
December 8, 2017
This is a book about a women and her work as a photographer. The book includes a bunch of her own pictures. Interesting for older students
March 29, 2020
A good companion book to read after finishing the novel Mary Coin. Because it is written for children, it leaves a few questions still to be answered.
October 1, 2025
Clear thoughtful biography written by Lange’s granddaughter shows the life and work of a true American artist.
July 22, 2016
Restless Spirit led me a little deeper into the life of Dorothea Lange. The author, Elizabeth Partridge, Bitsey, knew Dorothea in her later years. Her father was Dorothea's assistant and the families were close friends. Many of the photos of Dorothea in the book were taken by Bitsey's father, Ron Partridge.
This again, is a book geared toward a younger audience, but it did a great job of continuing my interest into Dorothea Lange. Dorothea did have a restless spirit and she paid a high price for it, but it was the choice she made. At the cost of tending to her own children, her work may have saved many other children and families during the depression.
Dorothea claimed that her disability, a limp caused by polio, eased her way into many of the migration camps to allow her the photos. It didn't stop her from living a full life and marrying well, not once, but twice. Her first husband was a famous artist and the father of her two sons. It seemed obvious both loved their children but the creative artist in both pulled harder. As Dorothea was out photographing, she came to work with the man who would become her second husband and life and working partner.
The description of how she knew she would spend the rest of her life with her second husband was the one spot in the book where I felt a little cheated. I don't know if even kids will believe that it just came to her while they were sitting in a field of lupines, but hopefully as I read more in depth books about her, I may learn more.
On the photography side, to make money in the early years of her career, Dorothea took portraits of people, usually wealthy mothers and their children. Her hearts desire though was to photograph the faces she saw on the street. Her style was at first to try to be invisible, not easy with the big cameras she preferred to use. As she started documenting for the FSA, she slowly learned to ask questions and learn about the people. She knew it was not the eager, but the elusive that she needed to talk to.
They say Dorothea was a strong willed woman, not always easy to work with because she liked doing things her own way. Her most famous photo, of the migratory mother came about only because she followed her instinct and turned back while on her way home after months on the road.
This book leaves me interested and inspired and looking forward to reading more about Dorothea Lange.
This again, is a book geared toward a younger audience, but it did a great job of continuing my interest into Dorothea Lange. Dorothea did have a restless spirit and she paid a high price for it, but it was the choice she made. At the cost of tending to her own children, her work may have saved many other children and families during the depression.
Dorothea claimed that her disability, a limp caused by polio, eased her way into many of the migration camps to allow her the photos. It didn't stop her from living a full life and marrying well, not once, but twice. Her first husband was a famous artist and the father of her two sons. It seemed obvious both loved their children but the creative artist in both pulled harder. As Dorothea was out photographing, she came to work with the man who would become her second husband and life and working partner.
The description of how she knew she would spend the rest of her life with her second husband was the one spot in the book where I felt a little cheated. I don't know if even kids will believe that it just came to her while they were sitting in a field of lupines, but hopefully as I read more in depth books about her, I may learn more.
On the photography side, to make money in the early years of her career, Dorothea took portraits of people, usually wealthy mothers and their children. Her hearts desire though was to photograph the faces she saw on the street. Her style was at first to try to be invisible, not easy with the big cameras she preferred to use. As she started documenting for the FSA, she slowly learned to ask questions and learn about the people. She knew it was not the eager, but the elusive that she needed to talk to.
They say Dorothea was a strong willed woman, not always easy to work with because she liked doing things her own way. Her most famous photo, of the migratory mother came about only because she followed her instinct and turned back while on her way home after months on the road.
This book leaves me interested and inspired and looking forward to reading more about Dorothea Lange.
June 12, 2017
This biography follows through Dorothea Lange's struggles to be a photographer. It goes through her entire life starting with the struggle of doing what was expected of her (by her mother) instead of what she wanted, to being robbed, to the struggles of being a female photographer, marriage problems, struggling with having a career and taking care of her children and more...
While the information was interesting and the photographs beautiful, the way the book was set up made it easy to loose interested, and in some ways it almost had too much information.
While the information was interesting and the photographs beautiful, the way the book was set up made it easy to loose interested, and in some ways it almost had too much information.
September 10, 2016
This is a bio I got out of the Junior section of the library. It's really good just to get some quick info on Lange. I recently finished reading The Grapes of Wrath (like the third or fourth time I'm not sure) and wanted to read some more on the background of the Great Depression and spotted this book when I was cleaning the shelves. It even mentioned Steinbeck and him seeing the shelters for the migrants and how he wanted to tell their story, and Lange was showing their story through her wonderful photos. This is the perfect book to share with your younger readers like seven through eleven.
July 20, 2009
Young Adult, juvenile reader, or children's book aside as a sub-category, this is a valuable addition to any reader with an interest in 20th century history, the Era of the Depression, politics, and certainly for me not the least in photography! Gee, I wonder why, (:biggrin:)
Dorothea Lange as an iconic American photographer gets lost in this day and age behind one or two of her migrant worker images from the depression era. Her work during World War II, including the internment camp era, work from and about the early post WWII civil rights time, stunning photos (though few seem to be widely available) of the remaining American Indians in the early part of the 20th Century, to inventing a way to photograph families and friends that can be envied by any photographer are touched on by this book.
While presented with an orientation towards introducing the younger readers to the wider world and images of a earlier time this book stands out as a biography and starting point for all interested in Dorothea Lange and in the history of great visual artists of early/mid 20th Century America.
I am happy to make this my 1000th entry to Goodreads.
Dorothea Lange as an iconic American photographer gets lost in this day and age behind one or two of her migrant worker images from the depression era. Her work during World War II, including the internment camp era, work from and about the early post WWII civil rights time, stunning photos (though few seem to be widely available) of the remaining American Indians in the early part of the 20th Century, to inventing a way to photograph families and friends that can be envied by any photographer are touched on by this book.
While presented with an orientation towards introducing the younger readers to the wider world and images of a earlier time this book stands out as a biography and starting point for all interested in Dorothea Lange and in the history of great visual artists of early/mid 20th Century America.
I am happy to make this my 1000th entry to Goodreads.
April 8, 2015
This is a great introductory work for getting students interested in a multitude of things: photography, social issues of the 1930's and 40's, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Japanese Internment Camps. I wouldn't say that this is a comprehensive text on Dorothea Lange; as touched on in the book, she was a complicated woman who was far ahead of her time and this text only seems to skim the surface of who she was as a person rather than her works. But, bully for us as the readers, we get a look at some fantastic reproduced black and white photos that document American history. The author, Elizabeth Partridge, was the daughter of Lange's assistant Ron Partridge, and her intimacy with the life of Lange shows through this work; she uses personal memories and Lange's own words collected from diaries, interviews, and letters. I read this book close on the heels of Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust, and this made for a phenomenal companion piece. It gives a face to the underrepresented in the textbooks, which, I think, makes it a worthwhile read for everyone.
January 23, 2011
Pretty good short biography of the life and work of famed Depression Era, Dust Bowl, and World War II photographer Dorthea Lange. I had been familiar with some of her haunting images of people and the suffering they experienced during these periods in American history, but had not known anything about her life. I was a bit dismayed by the way she often abandoned her children by sending them to boarding school at very young ages or sending them to live with a variety of different families (it's no wonder that one of her sons grew up very troubled, stole her camera, sold it at a pawn shop, and ran away from home), but I suppose during those times without modern conveniences, she had to make a decision between her family and her work, and that was the decision she made.
January 26, 2016
Dorothea Lange had established her reputation as a photographer when she was asked by the War Relocation Authority to document the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. She took photos both before and after the internment, showing Japanese Americans from high school, some from elementary school, a family standing, waiting to be sent to Tanforan, and at Manzanar.
That part takes up one chapter of the book, the rest of the book being a biography of what her life was like and how she took up photography. Her photos were in black-and-white and were often marvelous in how they captured the feelings of the people she was photographing.
Very good book.
That part takes up one chapter of the book, the rest of the book being a biography of what her life was like and how she took up photography. Her photos were in black-and-white and were often marvelous in how they captured the feelings of the people she was photographing.
Very good book.
March 6, 2017
Wonderful biography about one of the most fascinating women in American History. As a photographer, she not only captured some of the most pivotal historical events like the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, her photographs carried the weight of humanity; love, loss, shame, fun and everything else. Its a true artist who can show the complexities of her time using only black and white. Inspirational doesn't even begin to describe Dorothea. Though I found this in the Kid's department of the local library I highly suggest this to anyone interested in strong feminist figures, photography, and seeing life with a new perspective.
December 30, 2009
We got a grant through ALA for the "We the People" book shelf, and this year's theme was Picturing America. I read this one to come up with discussion questions and really enjoyed it. This was a great look at Dorthea Lange and what she did not only as a photographer, but also as a social activist. I didn't realize how much she had put into getting rights to people. I thought the section about the Nikkei was interesting, as I didn't know she was involved with that, either. A deeper review is forthcoming.
March 19, 2010
If I had the money to collect works of art, most of my collection would be photographs, and I would focus my collection on documentary photographs. I've always loved the photographs of Dorothea Lange, and I am captivated by her photograph of the migrant mother.
This juvenile non-fiction book, written by the daughter of one of Ms. Lange's assistants, provides an insightful overview of her life and work. I especially enjoyed the generous inclusion of photographs from throughout her life, and was inspired by the information on her photographic techniques.
This juvenile non-fiction book, written by the daughter of one of Ms. Lange's assistants, provides an insightful overview of her life and work. I especially enjoyed the generous inclusion of photographs from throughout her life, and was inspired by the information on her photographic techniques.
July 26, 2017
Since I have devoted 2015 to the year I improve my photography skills, I have been digging into famous photographers. This was a well written honest story of Dorothea Lange. She is the creator of many of the iconic portraits of The Great Depression. Her photos are very recognizable for their brutal honesty and view into the soul of the suffering.
The book was a juvenile biography so it read easily but thoroughly. A good sampling of her photos and a quite honest look at Dorothea the person. She like so many artists was a tortured soul with equally torturous relationships.
The book was a juvenile biography so it read easily but thoroughly. A good sampling of her photos and a quite honest look at Dorothea the person. She like so many artists was a tortured soul with equally torturous relationships.
July 5, 2010
I have always admired and loved the work of Dorothea Lange but I honestly knew nothing about her. This was a fascinating book not only about her life and photography but at the social/cultural trends and prejudices of the times. Really interesting read! *(She is the photographer who took the famous picture of the woman and her children during the Depression that has come to truly be an iconic symbol of the 1930's.)
May 10, 2012
This was a great read! Its obvious the author loved & respected Dorothea Lange and put a lot of care into this work. I was able to finally understand the feeling one has when they're doing something they love to do. Dorothea made a lot of sacrifices to be a great photographer and by the end of the story all I wanted to do was applaud her. I could relate to the passion & even the challenges as it relates to family and career, this book really hit home for me and I do plan to read it again.
June 20, 2013
So, I think this is good for a children's biography but some of the data in here does not match up with some of the other biography's I am reading about Dorothea Lange. On the one hand I want to think this is a right version because the author is the daughter of a close friend of D. Lange but on the other hand the other biographies are more deeply researched. I wanted to share this with my niece but some of the inconsistencies give me pause.
February 18, 2014
This was a light read about a photographer I knew nothing about. I found that the narrative jumped around a tad here and there so that you wondered how all of a sudden they were talking about this friend or that companion.
I admire the work Lange did to highlight the plight or the migrant workers in the US. I really didn't like how she treated her children of such secondary importance in her life, tossing them aside to live one place or another so she could focus on her career.
I admire the work Lange did to highlight the plight or the migrant workers in the US. I really didn't like how she treated her children of such secondary importance in her life, tossing them aside to live one place or another so she could focus on her career.
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March 9, 2016Biography- Dorothea Lange was contracted the polio virus at a young age and always walked with a limp. However, this disability often helped her in photography as she went out and documented major events in U.S. history like the depression and dust bowl of the 1930s and the Japanese internment camps of the 1940s. She had 2 children and 3 step-children. She was married twice in her life. She had an eye for photographing people.
April 22, 2008
This book turned out to be a gem -good tone, strong and clear story-telling, solid details of Lange's professional and personal life. Something new to learn for adults and children both. Lange's work, life, and death are well recorded with warmth and understanding in this telling of her story from an author who obviously knows her stuff.
October 10, 2014
I really loved this book. It is a quick read and a comprehensive study of Dorothea Lange's life and her career. There are also many of Dorothea's photos throughout the book. Anyone interested in photography or just studying Dorothea's career would enjoy this book.
February 22, 2017
Related the facts, emotional troubles, photographic abilities, and the stories and personality behind the photographs all in a concise, well-thought out and organized paperback in tall print. It was wonderful.
October 25, 2011
Wasn't particularly thrilled with the narrative, but I thought it was interesting overall. She was certainly an important figure. It's nice to have her biography in a form that is so easily accessible for younger readers.
The pictures are great too!
The pictures are great too!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews