Great Circle Books

ALMOST PERFECT

Photographed by Wayne Schoenfeld
Published by SWC Editions (affiliated with Great Circle Books)
135pp. Hardcover
Out of print

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
MOST OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD 2004

In March 2003, a generation after the end of the Vietnam War, an American surgical team arrived in Can Tho, a regional capital on the Mekong Delta. The thirty-nine medical and support volunteers brought with them a truckload of medical supplies and equipment.

For seven days they worked tirelessly, reconstructing the twisted and disfigured faces of children with severe birth defects. Their patients came from all over the province, entire families traveling, sometimes for days, hoping for the help of the American doctors.

In sweltering heat and in primitive conditions this medical team worked staggering hours and completed 169 surgical procedures. Rebuilding imperfect faces, they gave hope and new life to children cast out, cursed to an existence of social isolation and shame.

In Almost Perfect, Wayne Schoenfeld’s powerful and moving photographs tell a dual story. Traveling far in to the countryside to visit the families in their homes, his images tell a story of parental devotion and unconditional love, a story of disappointment, sacrifice and hope. But this is also a story of modern heroes, volunteers that make enormous personal sacrifice to help, however and wherever they can.

In the media, frequently the intensity and drama of war eclipses the hope of peace. War, like a movie or a novel, has a beginning and an end. It’s an easy tale to tell. Peace is an ongoing process. The story line is less clear. In a world where, too often, storytellers and the media are drawn to catastrophe and horror, Wayne Schoenfeld documents a mission of peace focusing on themes that are heroic and worthwhile. For a moment, the viewer is elevated to a place of hope and nobility.

From the Introduction by Donald C. Rogers
Recipient OSCAR for Lifetime Achievement
Member Board of Governors
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

			ALMOST PERFECT Photographed by Wayne Schoenfeld Published by SWC Editions (affiliated with Great Circle Books) 135pp. Hardcover Out of print INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS MOST OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD 2004 In March 2003, a generation after the end of the Vietnam War, an American surgical team arrived in Can Tho, a regional capital on the Mekong Delta. The thirty-nine medical and support volunteers brought with them a truckload of medical supplies and equipment. For seven days they worked tirelessly, reconstructing the twisted and disfigured faces of children with severe birth defects. Their patients came from all over the province, entire families traveling, sometimes for days, hoping for the help of the American doctors. In sweltering heat and in primitive conditions this medical team worked staggering hours and completed 169 surgical procedures. Rebuilding imperfect faces, they gave hope and new life to children cast out, cursed to an existence of social isolation and shame. In Almost Perfect, Wayne Schoenfeld’s powerful and moving photographs tell a dual story. Traveling far in to the countryside to visit the families in their homes, his images tell a story of parental devotion and unconditional love, a story of disappointment, sacrifice and hope. But this is also a story of modern heroes, volunteers that make enormous personal sacrifice to help, however and wherever they can. In the media, frequently the intensity and drama of war eclipses the hope of peace. War, like a movie or a novel, has a beginning and an end. It’s an easy tale to tell. Peace is an ongoing process. The story line is less clear. In a world where, too often, storytellers and the media are drawn to catastrophe and horror, Wayne Schoenfeld documents a mission of peace focusing on themes that are heroic and worthwhile. For a moment, the viewer is elevated to a place of hope and nobility. From the Introduction by Donald C. Rogers Recipient OSCAR for Lifetime Achievement Member Board of Governors Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences