David Murphy seems like such an interesting person; he spent time in Afghanistan and you can
ell he really loves the people and the place. These pictures are so amazing. I especially loved the ones where he gets people's personalities, such direct and beautiful portrayals. This would be a fantastic coffee table book, to just spend time with.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

The Beauty Amongst the Broken

David kicked off the book laying the foundation of who he is as a person, humanitarian and wanderlust seeker. He was authentic and vulnerable about his academic, professional and personal life. You really get a sense of who David the man is and this experience before even diving into the photography.

This book literally took my breath away.
The way the subjects were captured in the photos you could feel their energy through the photos despite the book being black, white & gray photos.

Overall these photo delivered captivating views, relationships and genuine human connections. Though there were a few sad things that stood out to me in a handful of photos, this book gives such a fresh perspective to Afghanistan as a whole.

Personally instead of news headlines and deployment stories to Afghanistan I will now envision the faces and scenery David has shared through this compilation. I didn’t realize how much opportunity this country has to be seen in new lenses and perspectives.

This book would make a fabulous conversation piece as a coffee table book, gift for a humanitarian and addition to a learning environment to open up dialogue ranging from culture to historical impacts.

This is a book I will never loose the emotions it pulled out of me.

I received a copy of this book from David Murphy. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

I can't believe how much I've underestimated the power of photography and how a single portrait can tell an entire story. The author shares his experiences visiting Afghanistan and the people he met, all through his involvement in the SHEP program—an acronym now firmly etched in my mind. Often, we're given a limited view of this beautiful country, one that focuses only on bombed landscapes and violent headlines in brief news clips. This book offers a different perspective, showcasing real-life moments of men, women, and children happily going about their daily lives, seemingly untouched by the violence that surrounds them. I truly admire how the photographer respected cultural boundaries while capturing the region’s beauty, offering a perspective I had never encountered before reading this book.