THE HEART OF AMERICA
KEVIN FLEMING, Portfolio Books, $50.00 US, hardcover with dust jacket, (360p)
ISBN: 0-9662423-7-8

In this beautiful and moving book, photographer Kevin Fleming shares the images and emotions he captured while exploring America over the past 10 years. Fleming's photographs reveal the diversity of America's people, architecture, geography, and seasons but also convey the beauty and goodness they share. Each picture tells a story of life in America and is accompanied by a few lines describing the people and locations. Invariably, Fleming finds Americans warm and kind and the landscapes beautiful and awe-inspiring.

From the frenzied activity of a NASCAR pit stop, to the hooves of Kentucky Derby thoroughbreds flinging mud as they gallop within inches of the photographer's face, Fleming demonstrates an enormous talent for being where the action is. His photographs always engage viewers, giving us the best possible perspective on his subjects.

"The Heart of America" contains photographs of great American cities, including the iconic bridges and skyscrapers of New York City, the dazzling neon of Las Vegas, and the monumental beauty of Washington, D.C. But as the photographer confesses in the book's introduction, he traveled "mostly avoiding the major highways in favor of the countryside and smaller towns."

By doing so, he discovered that America's rural towns and landscapes are every bit as "great" as its sprawling cities. Here a horse-trainer leads a mare and foal across a pasture gilded by the rising sun. Cattle ranchers of the Texas Panhandle conjure up vortexes of dust that glint in the bright light. A young boy in camouflage and roller skates clutches a toy rifle as he plays soldier in an abandoned outpost at Fort Davis, Alabama. A three-year-old girl in a spectacular flowery dress plays happily in the tall grass of a North Dakota prairie.

Kevin Fleming began his career as a photographer for a Delaware newspaper. He then spent a decade as a "National Geographic" photographer, visiting 26 countries and photographing diverse subjects from the sub-atomic world of high physics to New Zealand sheep ranchers. His photography has won many national and international awards.

"The Heart of America" offers extraordinary, touching views of American life guaranteed to provide many smiles and a deeper appreciation for what this great country is all about. This extraordinary book is a must for America's coffee tables!