'American Youth' Photo Book

A new photo book entitled 'American Youth' was recently released. This glossy, 240-page photographic document features snapshots and extended photo essays on young people from all across the United States, from all walks of life: races and ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and more. The subjects' commonality is their age (those who come of age this decade a.k.a. people born between 1982-1991) and their country of residence. You'll see strippers and students, Mormon missionaries and leftist activists, farmers and frat boys, debutantes and superdelegates. The photos' subjects seem all to be presented in an interesting way that intrigues the viewer while respecting the people being featured. In a day and age where youth are often unjustly portrayed as irresponsible, unaware, and even dangerous by adults who themselves are relying on stereotypes and fears (while forgetting their own teen years), the 'American Youth' photo book sheds light on the positive, unique diversity amongst teenagers in the USA.

I have yet to see the book itself but I have seen many of its pictures online and various print sources; I cannot wait to see more! The book is priced modestly but I have found its online presence to be very, very good. The 'American Youth' website is a wonderful resource worth checking out with its very extensive, interactive photo gallery; many other online media outlets feature selected photos as well. The photos are divided into the four categories of "Love", "Live", "Work", and "Play". Personally, some of my favorite -- and very Scarleteen-appropriate-- photos can be found under the "Love" heading. So, if you're a fan of photography or just want to see how you and your peers are being portrayed, check out this new photography book (for free!) by clicking here.

Please note: This is neither an ad for buying the book nor an endorsement of it by Scarleteen but rather my personal recommendation to check out its neat photographic presence online. That said, if you do take a look, we'd love to hear what you think of it by posting in the comments section below!