Girls of the World: 250 Portraits of Awesome - Mihaela Noroc - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Mihaela Noroc

GENRE: Photography.

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A gorgeous coffee-table book containing some stunning photographs of... you guessed it… ‘girls of the world’. Covers multiple countries and cultures. Inclusive in almost every way. A treat for the eyes and the heart.

Author Mihaela Noroc is renowned for her first photographic collection, ‘The Atlas of Beauty’, which contained 500 stunning photographs of women from across the globe, all of whom she had clicked during a year of backpacking. This second project of hers is extra special as she was also accompanied by her little daughter Natalia on her travels. The purpose of this collection, in Mihaela’s words, is ‘to inspire’, and I think she has been quite successful in that respect. Inspiration needn’t be big or small. On some days, even a simple heartfelt smile can inspire you towards a better day. And this book contains more than enough adorable snapshots to brighten your spirits.

This book covers 250 photographs of young girls from 55 countries. The locations range from developed to primitive. The kids’ ages range from one to young adult. There is representation of varied skin colours, races, cultures, financial statuses, body shapes, physical abilities and talents. There are a few motivational notes by the author in between, but the photographs dominate the content. A few times, the photos were clubbed as per a common theme in groups of 2-3, but on the whole, the ordering was mostly random.

Each photo is accompanied by a caption indicating the city and country it was clicked in, followed by a brief note about the subject. This note could be as simple as a comment on the girl’s hobby or it could be a poignant statement about the issues the little one faces. Every photo is either entertaining or educational, and sometimes, both.

I loovvvvvvvvveeee kids, so anything involving kids makes me happy. As such, I knew I would enjoy this book before I even opened it. Just look at the radiant faces on that cover! How could you not fall in love with those cherubic smiles? 😍😍

What struck me greatly is the expression on the faces of most of the girls. Whether they were playing with expensive toys or fiddling around with a simple jump rope, whether they were alone or with friends, whether they had easy access to most facilities or had to struggle for even the basic essentials, almost all the children radiated an inner joy on their countenances that no filter can replicate. ‘Beauty comes from within’ isn’t an empty quote, and each of these children proves it.

That said, there was one major thing that soured my experience. I can’t speak for all countries, but at least for India, the photographs were not demographically comprehensive. The focus seems to be on what would strike the Western world as quintessentially “Indian”, so the representation (which is mostly from Mumbai –the richest city in the country and the 23rd wealthiest city in the world as per Henley & Partners World's Wealthiest Cities List 2023), is of girls from underprivileged backgrounds who are struggling to go beyond their circumstances and yet bravely do what they can to better their situations. I wish the eye of the beholder had been more holistic, because such “inclusivity” is very lopsided. The same problem is present in the representation of African countries, where all the photographs focus on tribal girls. I cannot take away from the beauty of the portraits, but having such a one-sided representation just serves to perpetuate stereotypes. This was the only flaw in an otherwise impeccable collection.

I don’t know whom to recommend this to. A book of photographs will have only a niche audience. But if you are the kind of reader who would love to have a heartwarming coffee table book at your place, a book filled with angelic smiles and impish grins, with tree climbers and sport lovers and bibliophiles and farmers, with cultural, racial and mostly inclusive representation from across the globe, this is an amazing option.

There is a Kindle edition of this title available as well, but I would recommend the hard copy. Many of the photos are centre-split across pages, and these might not render well in the digital version.

My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Girls of the World: 250 Portraits of Awesome”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.