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Letizia Battaglia's story, her vision of Sicily, and her fight for justice against the mafia as revealed in this biographical monograph are as stunning as they are heroic. After years of risking her own life to fight for the life of the troubled city of Palermo - as a photographer, publisher, deputy council woman, ecological activist, defender of women's rights, defender of human rights - Battaglia continues the battle with the passion, intelligence, and unique perspective for which she is known. Yet her battle is not motivated by hatred, but rather by compassion and a profound sense of justice.
Letizia Battaglia: Passion, Justice, Freedom - Photographs of Sicily juxtaposes candid pictures of the everyday joy, suffering, and vitality of the Sicilians with images of the effect of the mafia predators who for so long have controlled much of the city's political and economic life. In his inspiring and powerful essay, Roberto Scarpinato addresses Palermo, Battaglia, and life at its most extreme. Palermo's mayor, Leoluca Orlando, has written an intimate letter to Battaglia, expressly for this book, about their work together. Alexander Stille chronicles Battaglia's fight against the mafia, placing her photographs within the context of Sicily in the 1980s and '90s, while Renate Siebert explores the role of women in relation to the mafia. Magazine editor Simona Mafai contributes an essay about her work with Battaglia, and Melissa Harris provides a biographical profile on this extraordinary woman, photographer, and fighter.
