Hans Hickerson — Far From Finland

Review by Lee Halvorsen •

I was gifted this book by the author and PBJ editor, Hans Hickerson who expressly did NOT want a review, only for me to enjoy his journey down this tortured and touching trip down memory lane. The vibrant colors of the small book’s cover capturing a computer screen were familiar and comforting and smile-creating, and compelling. Like a trade magazine for something fun or a college marketing booklet…purposefully understating the subtle title, “Far From Finland,” embedded in the icons of the screen.

All of fifty-four images are color, tack sharp, and intended to grip the reader’s visual senses and pull out memories of days long ago. None of the images are abstract or ethereal…just real life, right in your face, making sure you are aware of where you are. But what does all of this have to do with Finland, you ask? Or at least I did. The first page of the book starts with a statement by Howard Gardner, “Learn from Finland, which has the most effective schools and which does just about the opposite of what we are doing in the United States.” So good, I think, I’m going to learn about Finnish schools…but then, the author adds, “Views from my last years of teaching.” Hmmm…teaching in Finland. But then, no, a picture of a trailer classroom and I realize we’ll be looking at teaching in America.

The photos are quite splendid slices of life daring the reader to not notice them. But what make this little volume special is the sequencing, Hickerson takes us through an arc of his journey as a teacher, the rooms and students, snacks, lunches, sports, studying, goofing off, hidden phones and finally graduation. The reader is brought into the story because there’s so much…so many students, so much paper, large activities, individuals working, malfunctioning equipment, old facilities, shortages, demonstrations, and more. Each image brings several elements together tying one page to the next and the next and the next. And, I wondered, how did Hickerson do it all? How does one teacher be responsible for so many lives with so few resources? The last two pages of the book are tables of the impact of underfunding and what Hickerson’s actual “numbers” were as a teacher. And so the title, “Far From Finland” finally comes to roost. We’re not doing our best as a country to design, implement and sustain an education program maximizing the talents of the teachers, the young minds, and the resources available…we are 19^th in the world overall, 27^th in math.

Hickerson gives us a hint: lots and lots and lots of papers and forms and sports events and secret phone use…wonderfully paced to make you want to see the next image but sorry you didn’t spend more time with the last. If you’re a teacher, you’ll really get this book, if you’re a parent you might wish you could be more involved, if you’re a student, well, I’m not sure what you’ll think. But then, that’s the charm of being my age…this is a fun book to hold, to see and to use as a catalyst for digging your own yearbook out.

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Lee Halvorsen is assistant editor, writer and visual artist;

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Hans Hickerson, Far From Finland

Artist: Hans Hickerson, currently working and living in Portland, OR

Website to purchase book and for Fishpond Press and Hans Hickerson

Book design, Hans Hickerson

Language: English

Hardcover, 68 pages sewn binding, 54 color images and text by author 6.5 x 9 inches, ISBN 979-8-9872805-9-1

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Other PBJ reviewed books by Hickerson: Photobook Journal, Transgressions, A Year in Avignon, Marseille.

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