About the Book:

The Dump is a photo book about some of the most silent and abused people in the world. They are the unfortunate, who have been forced to spend their lives on and around the notorious Cambodian garbage dumps. It is a journey along a road of poverty, humiliation and oceans of tears with no end and no apparent hope for the future. This book is also a tribute to the most persistent people on earth, who refuse to give up the only thing they have – their pride as human beings. After decades of an extremely brutal domestic war, Cambodia today is a fragile, tropical paradise with incomprehensible corruption and a total lack of human rights. For a large group, “being Cambodian” doesn’t mean that you’re part of something bigger. It means that you’re part of a mental and physical holocaust that never ceases.

My Thoughts:

When I was contacted by Mr. Arminge to read The Dump it took me some time to agree. This would be my very first photo book. I am both glad and sad that I agreed. This book shows some extraordinary photos taken by Mr. Arninge in Cambodia. These pictures are not easy to view, seeing children digging through trash, fighting day by day other children, adults, rats, dogs and disease for a few scraps brought me to tears.

This book is one that every single person should see but one that is so hard to look at. I am at a lost for words as to how to review it. It is very powerful and well written/photographed.