Ghosts: Images of War by Carrie Zeidman; © 2015 Swiss Creek Publications; ISBN 978-0970227652; 71 pages; $40.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – This is an unusual book of photo essays touring venues of the American Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Holocaust. Photojournalist Carrie Zeidman visits these places feeling a personal connection to people who died there. In fact, as she explains in her narrative, some of her relatives were among the honored dead.
What makes the book unusual—and haunting—is that Zeidman superimposes on the images of the battlefields today old photographs either from the past or reenacting it. These superimposed photographs are faded into the modern photographs—so that the combined images appear to be ghosts revisiting the places where their lives ended.
Zeidman’s digital manipulation invokes the memories of those who died to make us free, and documents her compassion for those who were murdered for no other reason than that they were European Jews.
In compiling this slender volume, Zeidman took perhaps thousands of photographs and studied many hundreds more that were taken by earlier photographers. Her book combines with her photography her interest in genealogy, her love of sightseeing, her appreciation of history, and most of all her reverence for those who came before us. Images from the book may be viewed by clicking here.
*
Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the U.S.)
“Thank you so much for the wonderful review of my book. You did a great job of picking up the essence of what I was trying to say about the places and people in the stories. To get more information or to purchase the book, go to http://www.SwissCreek.com/ghosts.html.
–Carrie Zeidman, author, “Ghosts”