Every day, tragic things are reported. Those that do get coverage are only a small percentage of the daily heartbreak suffered throughout the lands that comprise our planet. Sometimes, though, the unfairness and unexpectedness of an event will strike a particularly responsive chord in the reader, and it provokes serious, profound sadness upon reflection.
Tales of Woe, a new book from John Reed, is a collection of true stories about people who became victims for one reason only: they were at the wrong place at an incredibly wrong time. There is no good reason for their suffering or deaths, unless the randomness of the universe is considered.
Americans are accustomed to “American Tragedy”— we are weaned on stories of hope, stories in which there is a resolution; although not always a happy ending, justice is served, sinners are punished. Tales of Woe borrows from Greek tragedy: “… you watch people suffer horribly, and then feel better about your own life. Tales of Woe tells stories of murder, accident, depravity, cruelty, and senseless unhappiness…”
Each of the 25 stories is bleak and hopeless. They go to the frustration of fate, the annihilation of the spirit, and the incredibly darkest aspects of human nature. White print on black pages emphasizes the despair conveyed in words.
Reed reports each story in a passionless voice, letting the intensity of the circumstances and situations influence the reader. It is a brilliant approach to the subject matter, all of which is tinged with melancholia and irony.
Illustrating Tales of Woe are the works of 11 artists. Reed searched through the works of over 3,000 artists to find the exact look he wanted for his book. He wanted illustrations “that were reminiscent of the pre-comic code art of the 1930s, the real stuff that told a story of woe in of itself.” Using garish color and explicit images, these illustrations spotlight the violence and tragedy so common to many lives.
.jpg?t=20120209092158)
Article comments
1 - Lynn Voedisch
OMG! How could you read this? I'd be walking around in chronic depression for days! But honestly, it's a good review. I just could never read this. The one about the mother and her toddler son would have me in tears for weeks.
2 - jennifer pate
Wow. A book about needless, senseless, unbearable suffering with no redemption. I have seen plenty of that in my personal and professional life. I can't imagine what could be gained by reading 25 more stories of unspeakable tragedy.