Howard Buffett's 'Fragile": Honest, Moral Beauty

Howard Buffett’s book “Fragile” is almost as big as he is. “Fragile” measures 13x12.2x1.7 inches, but I swear it’s bigger than that.

The scale of “Fragile” captured my senses, as I pulled the gorgeous book from the bottom shelf of Barnes & Noble, Union Square New York. Its very weight reminded me of the scale of the problem confronting our 21st century world.

I lugged it to the nearest chair, aware that I couldn’t carry the hardbound volume with me on the rest of my Christmas shopping.

Many activists scrimp on the costs of telling the story, as if producing a glossy, sophisticated, design pedigree to communicate the problem offends the topic itself. Poor people deserve poor-looking books.“Fragile” is a simply gorgeous to look at.

I wasn’t prepared for double-page layouts and off-center photo layouts. National Geographic, the publisher of “Fragile”, produces stunningly beautiful books and this one is a gift worth giving. 

Don’t worry about offending someone’s sensibilities with the 440 color photographs of poor people and the daily hardships of human existence for the majority of people in the world.

The most heartless, successful, probably rich person will admire the beauty of this book, even if the photographs and words don’t stir the desired reaction and response to action. “Fragile” is frankly subversive in its presentation of a difficult to digest everyday reality.

“Some of these extraordinary photos make you smile; some make you cry,” Bono writes. “All of them inspire you to take action against the injustice of extreme poverty. Howie’s portraits are more than beautiful pictures and compelling stories — they are the reason why we must not rest in the comfort of our freedom.” via Omaha World-Herald

Buffett doesn’t shy away from photographing corpses. His travels in 100 countries bring him home to a two-page spread on poverty in West Virginia.

I dreamed about Howard Buffett Sunday night, after examining “Fragile” for the first time. True, I’ve written about him and Shakira since midsummer, but I’m really intrigued with his own story, how Howie Buffett came to be a regular-guy, poster boy for global activism.

The Amazon description and few reviews don’t communicate how much of Howard Buffett is in this photographic documentation of global poverty.  He shares his impressions of the Sudanese University of Omaha female student, who came to live in the Buffett household.

Against his mother’s wishes but with his father’s encouragement, Howard Buffett found himself in Czechoslovakia at age 14, visiting another student Vera. Thousands of miles away from the Midwestern prairie — the source of my own roots — Howard Buffett heard about and saw violence firsthand.

Howard Buffett’s own coming of age activist stories are woven into the key sections and themes of “Fragile”.  His goal is to present people with dignity and sensitivity, asking us to connect with them for real.

Buffett mustn’t minimize the reality that he, too, motivates us to action. “Fragile” is his story, and Buffett is no celebrity-hungry guy.

The global stakes are high in “Fragile”. Buffett is an educated person who knows that without dramatic, effective actions, human life won’t “make it” in the 21st century. We exist to help communicate his message. Anne