A review by erine
Ruby's Hope: A Story of How the Famous "Migrant Mother" Photograph Became the Face of the Great Depression by Monica Kulling

An imagined story behind the scenes of the Migrant Mother photograph. On one hand, there is a true story available I think, that could have been told. On the other, this picture book addresses some of the limitations of imagination when it comes to interpreting primary sources. A photograph can tell us a lot about the circumstances around which it was taken, but it cannot provide a backstory for its subject nor the history of the photographer. This story reveals the limitations of that interpretation.

Children and mothers seem to be the first affected and the last helped in any crisis. This story highlights the suffering of a particular fictional family, and showcases the tragedy of any crisis response that does not take sufficient care of the struggling families.