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Broken Spears: A Maasai Journey | 
| Author: Elizabeth L. Gilbert
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Category: Book
List Price: $50.00
Buy New: $16.06
You Save: $33.94 (68%)
New (9) Used (8) from $15.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 788051
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.3
Dimensions (in): 12.7 x 9.5 x 0.8
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.8965
ASIN: B000SOVCE6
Publication Date: August 28, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New. Clean. Unread. NO-QUESTIONS-ASKED 100% REFUND POLICY.
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Book Description
When renowned photojournalist Elizabeth Gilbert first came into contact with the Maasai over ten years ago, their images were everywhere in Africa. Pictures of warriors were printed on postcards, T-shirts, safari advertisements, and hotel logos, but in reality their traditional life was disappearing. So Gilbert — whose photographs have appeared in Time, Newsweek, Men's Journal, Life, and the New York Times — set out on a four-year journey to photograph what was left of traditional Maasailand. Broken Spears is the stunning result of that remarkable journey where Gilbert intimately and poignantly captures the majesty of these people. Over 120 images capture the rituals, secret ceremonies, and landscapes of the Maasai, documenting the life of this extraordinary tribe in the most comprehensive collection of photographs ever assembled. Gilbert's intimate relationship with the Maasai allowed her to photograph centuries-old Maasai ceremonies, including male and female circumcisions, weddings, and perhaps the most dangerous of all Maasai rituals, a lion hunt. A moving photographic journey into the vanishing culture of the Maasai warriors of Kenya and Tanzania, Broken Spears is a haunting testament to a rapidly disappearing way of life.
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| Customer Reviews:
A Passionate Portrait of a Great People February 28, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Most photographers either see the members of the noble Maasai tribe hastily when they are tourists or as photojournalists with limited time. Their images don't get far below the surface. On the other hand, photographer Elizabeth Gilbert worked many years, carefully and slowly to gain the Maasai's trust and understand who they are. The result of her efforts is abundantly clear in this moving book that documents their world in a great detail. We don't see flashy events performed for visitors but intimate milestones in their life like the passage to manhood and the rite of marriage. The book leaves us with a clear sense of who these people are and where they came from. In addition, Gilbert has given us a breathtaking view of the country in which they make their home. It is a standout in a field full of Africa books.
A remarkable record of a vanishing society October 27, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I read this pictorial record of the Maasai in one sitting from start to finish. Rather than being just another coffee table book with pretty pictures, Liz Gilbert intersperses her photographs with insightful essays documenting Maasai history, rituals, and traditions such as marriage, male and female circumcision, coming of age, and even a lion hunt with spears. Gilbert has clearly done her homework regarding the Maasai, spending many years in Kenya to gain the trust of the tribesmen who allowed her to document their most intimate rituals. The black and white photographs she has assembled have a museum quality about them, especially the portraits. The author took serious personal risks to achieve these photographs, with the lion hunt at the end representing but one example of her courage. Clearly, the book documents not only the vanishing society of the Maasai, but also a personal journey for the author. This book should be an inspiration for anyone interested in Africa.
STUNNING AND PASSIONATE! October 8, 2003
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a truly awe-inspiring book. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the Maasai or African cultures. In contrast to the recent slew of "white girl in Africa" books which have deluged newstands in recent years, Gilbert's book is a refreshing take on one of Africa's least accessible and mythologized cultures. Individually and collectively the photographs serve to honor a people who are consciously facing the erosion of their societial ways. Broken Spears is a must-have for any serious family book collection
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