Just Jennifer

The Burning House: What Would You Take? By Foster Huntington (IT Books, September 2012)

It’s two in the morning and the smoke detector is blaring.  You rush to get yourself, your family and pets out of the house.  If there’s time, what else do you grab?  What do you think you won’t be able to live without or to replace?  Would you be practical? Sentimental? Or grab what you think has the most monetary value?  This question came up at a dinner party the author attended once, and the website www.theburninghouse.com was born.  In these photographic essays, people from all over the world pose what they have decided they would most hope to grab in the event of a fire.  The entries range from children to older adults; the entries represent North and South America, Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe.  Many of the journalers are artists, musicians or writers, quite a few self-under, or not at all employed.  The essays are thoughtful and the treasures artfully arranged and photographed.  Two blank pages represent people who have been through fires, each reacting in different ways.  The amalgamations are personal and meaningful, glimpses into a part of the human condition rarely thought of or seen.