BELOW THE LINE, LIVING POOR IN AMERICA: EUGENE RICHARDS

Poster Size: 20 x 24 inches Below the Line: Living Poor in America, published in 1987, is a collection of 14 photographic and textual essays that depict conditions of poverty within the United States during the mid 1980s. The book was controversial. Critics applauded the revealing nature of the stories, but often added, as if in the same breath, that what was being shown was a negative view of the country, one that lacked hope. Pushed to reply, Richards countered that these stories were, in fact, portraits in courage. Each person encountered on his journey across America was struggling, against great odds, to better him or herself. Published by Consumer Reports Books, Below the Line consisted of taped interviews and photographs made by Richards during a seven-month journey across America visiting poor rural and urban communities in eleven states from Massachusetts to Wyoming. Richards writes: "As one person's history unfolded, I was often directed towards others. When I was with embat