Description
Once upon a time, Michael Katakis lived in a place of big dreams, bright colours and sleight of hand. That place was America.
One night, travelling where those who live within illusions should never go, he stared into the darkness and glimpsed a faded flag where shadows gathered, revealing another America. It was a broken place, bred from fear and distrust - a thousand shards of glass - filled with a people who long ago had given away all that was precious; a people who had been sold, for so long, a foreign betrayal that finally came from within, and for nothing more than a handful of silver.
These essays, letters and journal entries were written as a farewell to the country Michael loves still, and to the wife he knew as his 'True North'. A powerful and personal polemic, A Thousand Shards of Glass is Michael's appeal to his fellow citizens to change their course; a cautionary tale to those around the world who idealise an America that never was; and, crucially, a glimpse beyond the myth, to a country whose best days could still lie ahead.
'A Thousand Shards of Glass, a book written with remarkable prescience some years ago, recounts with sad eloquence his disillusionment with America. His is a voice full of common sense and simple humanity that seem to have been lost in contemporary America. It is a voice both kind and angry, the voice of a reasonable man who has not lost his idealism but who is deeply troubled by what he sees and describes so clearly' Dr. Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm
'Katakis writes with an economic elegance about the rift between America as advertised and America as experienced with the passion and precision of a poet' Rick Klefell, NPR
About the Author
Author and photographer Michael Katakis has travelled extensively for the past thirty-five years, writing about and photographing a wide range of cultures and geographic locations. His books include Photographs and Words with Dr Kris Hardin, Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile, The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility, and Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans. Katakis has exhibited his work at the British Library, the Royal Geographical Society in London and the International Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. In 1991 the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., acquired Michael's portrait of Maya Lin for their collection.
Reviews
'George Bernard Shaw observed that all progress depends on unreasonable men - as reasonable men adapt themselves to the world and do not try to change it. But Michael Katakis is a reasonable man who has refused to adapt. A Thousand Shards of Glass, a book written with remarkable prescience some years ago, recounts with sad eloquence his disillusionment with America. His is a voice full of common sense and simple humanity that seem to have been lost in contemporary America. It is a voice both kind and angry, the voice of a reasonable man who has not lost his idealism but who is deeply troubled by what he sees and describes so clearly.' -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm and Admissions
'Katakis writes with an economic elegance about the rift between America as advertised and America as experienced with the passion and precision of a poet' -- Rick Klefell * National Public Radio *
Book Information
ISBN 9781471189197
Author Michael Katakis
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Scribner UK
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 12mm
One night, travelling where those who live within illusions should never go, he stared into the darkness and glimpsed a faded flag where shadows gathered, revealing another America. It was a broken place, bred from fear and distrust - a thousand shards of glass - filled with a people who long ago had given away all that was precious; a people who had been sold, for so long, a foreign betrayal that finally came from within, and for nothing more than a handful of silver.
These essays, letters and journal entries were written as a farewell to the country Michael loves still, and to the wife he knew as his 'True North'. A powerful and personal polemic, A Thousand Shards of Glass is Michael's appeal to his fellow citizens to change their course; a cautionary tale to those around the world who idealise an America that never was; and, crucially, a glimpse beyond the myth, to a country whose best days could still lie ahead.
'A Thousand Shards of Glass, a book written with remarkable prescience some years ago, recounts with sad eloquence his disillusionment with America. His is a voice full of common sense and simple humanity that seem to have been lost in contemporary America. It is a voice both kind and angry, the voice of a reasonable man who has not lost his idealism but who is deeply troubled by what he sees and describes so clearly' Dr. Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm
'Katakis writes with an economic elegance about the rift between America as advertised and America as experienced with the passion and precision of a poet' Rick Klefell, NPR
About the Author
Author and photographer Michael Katakis has travelled extensively for the past thirty-five years, writing about and photographing a wide range of cultures and geographic locations. His books include Photographs and Words with Dr Kris Hardin, Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile, The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility, and Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans. Katakis has exhibited his work at the British Library, the Royal Geographical Society in London and the International Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. In 1991 the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., acquired Michael's portrait of Maya Lin for their collection.
Reviews
'George Bernard Shaw observed that all progress depends on unreasonable men - as reasonable men adapt themselves to the world and do not try to change it. But Michael Katakis is a reasonable man who has refused to adapt. A Thousand Shards of Glass, a book written with remarkable prescience some years ago, recounts with sad eloquence his disillusionment with America. His is a voice full of common sense and simple humanity that seem to have been lost in contemporary America. It is a voice both kind and angry, the voice of a reasonable man who has not lost his idealism but who is deeply troubled by what he sees and describes so clearly.' -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm and Admissions
'Katakis writes with an economic elegance about the rift between America as advertised and America as experienced with the passion and precision of a poet' -- Rick Klefell * National Public Radio *
Book Information
ISBN 9781471189197
Author Michael Katakis
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Scribner UK
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 12mm
