Books like Wisconsin Death Trip

After reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a story inspired by photographs, I realized I had never added this strange and wonderful book to my list. Essentially nothing more than a series of photos and newspaper accounts from the late 19th century, the book depicts a troubled slice of history as it recounts daily life in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and its surrounding areas. The newspaper excerpts tell woeful tales of suicide, murder/suicides, madness and sadness. If anything good ever happened to these people, it never made the pages of The Badger State Banner.The photographs in this book are what really draw you in, and they leave a lasting impression. Taken over a period of 20 years by photographer Charles Van Schaick, they are a unique chronicle of an American town. Ladies in their Sunday-best sit astride horses, miserable looking families pose in front of their tiny homes, while another man mows the lawn of a gorgeous mansion. A group of men in black face is shown next to a photo of barbers and their customers. My absolute favorite is a happy looking, hatted lady, holding a snake in each hand, with a third draped around her neck. Most disturbing are the many photos of dead children in their coffins. Perhaps the most poignant is the photograph of a living baby posed with the photos of two dead siblings - a grieving mother's only way to get a family portrait. It's difficult to look at the pictures here, and not wonder about the lives of the subjects depicted. In fact, this book has inspired at least two novels - A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, and the brilliant, though deeply disturbing, A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O'Nan.Originally published in 1973, this book is still in print and readily available. Many of the images can be viewed here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsimag...And, a docudrama film has been made, and is available through Netflix.